


Black Ice

by XinriaDjemsRouge



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alcohol, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Complete, Drugs, Epic Battles, Fluff and Smut, I wrote a book on accident, M/M, NSFW, Violence against Children, minor Toothiana/ Mother Nature
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:09:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 66
Words: 170,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XinriaDjemsRouge/pseuds/XinriaDjemsRouge
Summary: Three and a half years after the defeat of Pitch Black and his Nightmares, after Jack Frost took his Guardian oath, a dark spirit resurfaces. The fun-loving ice sprite leads a group of trick-or-treaters to a spooky haunted house and accidentally into the waiting shadows of Pitch Black. A quick save turns into a conversation, which then turns into a dark and daring deal struck between two powerful forces of the universe. Can Jack's spirit shine through the darkness, or will Pitch's shadows pull him astray and snuff his light forever?
Relationships: Jack Frost/Pitch Black, Jack Frost/Pitch Black/Kozmotis Pitchiner
Comments: 96
Kudos: 237





	1. All Hallow's Eve

**Ch. 1 - All Hallow’s Eve**

“Hey, Baby Tooth. It might be a while until you can make your pick-up; all the kids are up tonight for Halloween,” Jack said. The MiniFairy had made a pit stop to say hello when she saw him in the tree near her target house. She gave him a confused head-tilt. “Halloween? All Hallow’s Eve? C’mon you guys aren’t that young.” He turned and showed her what he was watching. Kids of various ages in strange and elaborate costumes lined the street-lit neighborhood sidewalks. “See? The kids go out trick-or-treating for candy in scary costumes. It’s a really old tradition.” Baby Tooth nodded like she remembered and buzzed about happily. “You want to stick around until your toothless kid goes to sleep?” Baby Tooth shook her head sadly and showed him a list of children who were already asleep and not participating. “Alright then. You work hard, I’ll be hardly working,” he laughed and jumped off the tree to fly over the streets. His hoodie ruffled as he swept over a group of older kids, bringing a chilly wind with him. Baby Tooth shook her head at the playful spirit and darted off in the other direction.

Jack stopped mid-air when he heard the words “haunted house.” He flew back and hovered over the kids chattering about it. He wasn’t worried about being seen since it was his off-season and these kids were a bit older. Maybe peaking on twelve, he guessed? There were three- a tubby redhead with freckles dressed as Ron Weasley, a thin blonde in a home-made alien costume, and the apparent leader of the group, a tall, dark-skinned boy with what seemed to be a pirate-slash-gangster crossover get-up.

“You’s two’s just scared. It’s just a normal decreeped house any other night!”

“I think you mean decrepit,” the blonde said.

“Whatever. My man Pat is with me, right Pat?” He looked at the redhead.

“I don’t know. It’s trespassing and I’d rather spend my night eating candy than in jail.”

“We won’t get caught- it’s Halloween! Cops got bigger things like high schoolers eggin’ houses. Besides, most of these houses are closing shop. We should do one more fun thing before we head home.”

“I’m tired, Shawn,” the blonde told him. “Why don’t we watch a scary movie at your place?”

“Why watch one when we can make one? The house is right down the street!”

Jack snickered to himself. “What a bunch of hooligans. I agree with you Shawn, let’s have some fun...” Jack twirled his staff and leaned down close to Shawn, using a power he’d only recently discovered last Christmas. “I heard there’s a bunch of candy hidden in the back for brave kids who make it through the witch’s old house.”

Shawn’s eyes swirled with a sparkle of frost and fun. “Guys, guys- what if I told you- the house was a set-up, and there’s a ton of candy waiting at the back. It’s not abandoned.”

“Yeah. And how do you know that?” The blonde huffed.

“I just know. C’mon Pat. Your candy bag looks sad... like your face.”

“If there’s no candy at the end, I get half your stash,” Pat negotiated.

“Deal. I promise- there’s candy.”

“I don’t know why I’m believing you.” The blonde followed as they started jogging for the creepy house at the end of the street. Jack followed, surfing the air on his staff with a grin.

“A good spook and a few chills could be fun. Good story to take back to school, right?” He said even though he knew they couldn’t hear him. What Jack didn’t know was that he wasn’t the only spirit planning on using the abandoned house at the end of the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spring Break, March 2020, around the time we were all quarantined and I was told not to return to school, I had very sudden inspiration. I've written fun little ships in the past, usually PWP/oneshots, but this became something much bigger. I dug into the lore behind the fantastic RotG movie and became obsessed with William Joyce's series. Now that I've finished what accidentally BECAME A FREAKIN' NOVEL, I plan to purchase and read his full series, Guardians of Childhood (and I encourage you do the same!).
> 
> Please Read and Review- I truly thrive on reactions, and I hope you're all along for this rollercoaster ride! Happy Spooktober!


	2. The Witch’s Haunted House

**Ch. 2 - The Witch’s Haunted House**

“It looks bigger at night,” Pat said, frozen at the iron gate.

Shawn scanned the locked gate, looking for ways to climb it. Jack had parted from the group to collect candy from houses that had left out unsupervised bowls. He planted a huge hoard of candy in the backyard as a prize for his young champions and then rejoined them.

“It’s just like any of our homes but with rats and plants,” Shawn said.

“I’m not going anywhere near something with rats!” The blonde alien shrieked.

“You think the rats are the worst part? Didn’t you know this house was once owned by a witch?” Shawn made up. “Old witch, she ate kids on Halloween to stay young!”

“That’s bullshit,” Pat said.

“Oh yeah? Then why’s the chimney lit? Who lives here, Pat?”

Pat and Jack both looked at the chimney. Pat looked on in horror, but Jack was intrigued.

“Why is the chimney going...?” He wondered. “Someone else already here? Maybe I should turn them back,” he thought aloud. Just then, the gate creaked open on its own. “Okay...” Jack eyed the rusted hinges. He held his staff tighter, ready to protect the kids if he had to. He assumed it was pests or weak structures, though.

“Wow, the lock wasn’t even attached. C’mon, we’ll be in and out! Stay together!” Shawn took off down the path towards the porch.

“Shawn!”

“Mindy!” He said mockingly as the blonde chased after him. Pat rushed to keep up. Jack hovered around them, staying wary. He smirked when they stopped at the door.

“C’mon now. You’ve come this far,” he chuckled. He summoned a cold blast of wind, nearly knocking Mindy over and forcing the weak front door open. Pat squealed like a girl. “I’m here with you. Nothing bad will happen,” Jack said, unheard by all but one. Shawn pushed forward, trick knife out and ready, candy bucket in his other hand.

“Alright, witch! Trick... or treat?” Jack stifled a snicker at how serious Shawn was being. He jumped with the kids when the door slammed shut behind them, though, covering them all in darkness.

“Weird old house,” Jack scoffed. Pat and Shawn both had flashlights out and ready, and Mindy had a light on her phone.

“This place is massive on the inside...”

“Where’s the candy, Shawn?” Pat asked.

“I don’t know. Around. It’s a haunted house, we probably have to go through a couple jump-scares to find it.”

“I don’t like this,” Mindy said, grabbing Shawn’s arm. He blushed.

“None of it’s real,” he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself, too. “Let’s go... this way!” He pointed to the back, but something fell and rolled in the formal dining room, catching his attention.

“What was that?” Mindy asked.

“Let’s check it out!”

“Shawn!” She whined. Jack went ahead of them. No sign of rats, but the fallen object was an old doorknob.

“This place is pretty cool.” There was more light coming in from the street in the dining room, streaking the empty space. A few chairs sat unused in the corner. Pat came in behind Shawn and sat down to take a breather, but the chair collapsed beneath him. Jack thought to make some spooky, cold, whistling wind, but not before the sound of sharp nails on wood scratched from the kitchen, followed by more falling objects and... footsteps? Jack darted into the kitchen, his growing worry leaving the dining room cold behind him.

“I’m cold, Shawn...”

“Let’s see if that’s the owner of the haunted house. Maybe he’ll have the candy,” Shawn said, trying to sound strong.

Jack looked around, staff ready, and caught a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Shadows twisted as cars drove past slowly on the opposite street with fewer houses and trick-or-treaters. He heard the children come in behind him.

“Nothing in the cabinets,” Pat said disappointedly. “Seems more like an old broken house than a haunted witch’s house,” he scoffed.

“It’ll be worth it, I promise.” More footsteps led deeper into the house, down a hallway across the den. Shawn and Jack followed faster.

A dark figure stood at the end of the hall, partially illuminated by streetlight glowing from a bedroom. “Hey! Are you the owner!” Shawn said, voice shaking a little. “We heard there was candy, and your door was open- and...” Shawn faltered as the figure turned, getting taller and longer, then disappearing into the darkness of the hall. Shawn’s breath hitched as footsteps grew fast and loud suddenly, coming at him. Mindy screamed and ran behind Pat. Shawn held out his trick knife, braced, but only a cloud of cold washed over him. He blinked, looking around the den. “Who’s there! Stop messing with us!”

“What a brave little leader,” a familiar voice said. Jack recognized it immediately and knew the kids couldn’t hear it.

“Pitch,” he hissed.

“Jack. What a coincidence.” His voice echoed around the den. Pitch slid up the wall as a passing shadow and knocked down a mirror, causing it to shatter loudly at Shawn’s feet. Jack gasped and brought another gust of cold wind to knock the shards away so he wouldn’t get hurt.

“Long time no fight,” Jack said. “Look, the kids are with me, so you can back off.”

“Are they? I could have sworn what with the candy in the back that you brought them to me. Like a peace offering... or a sacrifice.” Pitch’s face jumped out of the wall at Jack, and he zapped it with a ball of frost in surprise, only to see he’d disappeared again.

“Was that magic?” Pat asked, looking at the mirror and the ice on the wall.

“It’s the witch! We have to get out of here!” Mindy shouted and ran for the front. Pitch swept darkness across the front of the house, drawing curtains and blinds. He let Mindy stare in fear at the blackness before ripping long lines down each curtain. She screamed and ran back to Shawn.

“We should get out,” Pat said. Shawn nodded.

“Y-yeah. Find the back door!” Pitch chased them, but Jack drew a line of ice and stood between him and the running children.

“I brought them here for a little risk and fun, not so you could drain them of their joy.”

“What, couldn’t wait for your winter wonderland? Had to invade the fall festivities? I’ve only just recovered my strength, Jack, give me a chance.” Pitch fought him with spears of shadow, each deflected by a blast of powder snow from Jack’s staff. “I don’t feel like playing. I’m hungry, and they’re delectably frightened.”

“Stay away!” Jack lunged and Pitch dodged, letting Jack fall to the side. Pitch tossed a ball of gaping darkness at him, sprawling like a net, and Jack became entangled in half-substance shadow strings. “What! What is this! Let me go!” Pitch chuckled at his cute, writhing attempts, then turned back to the kids who had found the back door.

“Look! I was right! There’s a huge loot of candy right in the back!” Shawn pointed through a window.

“Alright, let’s go!” Pat said, bringing Mindy along. Pitch brought the blinds and curtains down one by one in a quick cascade of darkness. Now it was nearly impossible to see, except for the shaking sweep of flashlights. Pitch twisted his hand and the lights each died one at a time, flickering to black. Jack finally got purchase in a hole in the shadow net and pulled himself free. He scrambled around the floor blindly, feeling for his staff.

“I’m comin’, guys!”

Shawn reached out blindly, breathing hard.

“Look here, we just wanted some candy! Let us out now! It’s been real funny, ha-ha, we got it!” Mindy was nearly in tears. She screamed again.

“I felt fingers! In my hair! We’re gonna get eaten, Shawn!”

“I don’t wanna die, man!” Pat panicked, shaking.

“Don’t touch her!” Shawn growled, slashing his trick knife in the air blindly. Pitch grinned from ear to ear and leaned close, taking a deep breath of the fear emanating from the more courageous boy. He got ready to devour the last drops of bravery, leave nothing but quaking fear behind, when he got a huge, wet snowball to the back of the head.

“Finally!” Jack laughed. “Not bad for a shot in the dark.” He twirled his staff and, knowing where Pitch was this time, fired off a couple more. Pitch snarled in irritation, blocking one from his face.

“Sounds like an animal,” Pat whimpered.

“No, no, it’s okay guys, you won! You beat the haunted house!” Jack brought in another sharp breeze, fluttering curtains so the kids could find the door. Mindy snatched it open.

“Come on!” She called, making sure Shawn and Pat found their way. They all stumbled down the back steps and found the pile of candy.

“Whoa. That’s... a lot...”

“How are we going to carry it all?”

Pitch started to go after then. “I’m not done with you!”

“Ah-Ah!” Jack froze Pitch’s lower half to the floor and floated out into the backyard. “You’re done now. Leave them be.” With a last-minute idea, he blasted icy words into the ground for them.

“Guys, look!” Shawn pointed and read Jack’s words aloud. “Good job- you beat your fears and bested the boogeyman. Happy Halloween!”

“That’s some cool special effects, man!”

“You mean it really was just a haunted house?” Mindy said in disbelief.

“Like the best one ever!” Shawn laughed and whooped. “Sweet! Let’s take this home. And Mindy we’ll watch whatever movie you want!” He laughed and hugged his friends. Pitch snarled and tried to get out of the ice, but Jack didn’t release him until the kids were off the property.

“Uh, I included you. You’re welcome,” he scoffed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plenty of time for sass even in the face of darkness and danger~  
> Please RnR! <3


	3. Good for Something

**Ch. 3- Good for Something**

Jack Frost hovered off the ground as he watched the kids run off with the enormous bag of candy, smiling fondly as they teased each other about witches, shadows, and the boogeyman.

“I bet you think you’ve protected them well, don’t you, Guardian?” Jack turned.

“I did. And they had fun.” Jack dodged a weak shadow spear from Pitch as he faced the boogeyman. “And... If I’m not mistaken,” he smirked and pointed his staff at Pitch, “you had fun, too.”

“Fun,” Pitch scoffed. “I’m the embodiment of fear and darkness, I don’t have fun. Now get out of here before I have to hurt you.”

“You just can’t accept it, can you? There are better ways to do what you’re trying to do.” Jack lied down on his stomach in mid-air, smiling playfully at Pitch. Pitch disappeared, and for a second Jack believed he had just left, but Pitch reappeared, inky black beside him, and knocked his staff off-balance. Jack twirled mid-air and landed on the ground. He clutched his staff close to his chest defensively, not wanting a repeat of the last time Pitch broke it.

“Look at you. Trying to help me, pitying me? You speak of things you could never commit to. You’re still afraid of me, and you always will be. I don’t need anyone’s help getting the children to see their worst fears.” He glided closer on a silent bed of shadow, dark eyes daring frozen Jack to move. “We will dance like this many times. I will threaten, and you will Guard. You can’t change things, Jack.” He leaned down over the younger spirit. “I once offered you alliance and you rejected me.”

“Because you want to hurt people. Children. But you don’t have to.”

“Making them afraid doesn’t hurt them.” Pitch disappeared again, and Jack stood up straighter. He hadn’t had so many words with Pitch since their battle years ago, and he wasn’t going to leave when he’d just become so talkative.

“You do more than try to scare them. Why?”

“Why do you like causing snowstorms? Chaotic little Frost spirit. I’ve seen the damage your powers can do.” Pitch circled Jack, hands clasped cordially. “I’ve seen cars smash into each other as your ice coated the roads. I’ve seen children come home numb because of a freak snowstorm they weren’t dressed for. And the best part- I’ve seen nightmares of people traumatized by the side effects of your cold. They’re delicious,” he grinned from ear to ear.

“You’re wrong. I’m careful. I never hurt anyone!”

“Jack, I’m many things, but I’m not a liar. Perhaps you’re not the Guardian the Man in the Moon thought you should be. Perhaps he chose wrong.” Jack heard children screaming and laughing in the distance as the trick-or-treating continued.

“You’re manipulative. You put fear and doubt in people.”

“No. I simply remind people of the fears and doubts they already have.” Pitch put his hand out. “Want me to prove it, Jack?” His gray teeth glimmered in dim moonlight as he waited, ebony eyes meeting ice. Jack gripped his staff tighter but stared at his hand, questioning if he really had hurt people in recklessness. Even his first meeting with Jamie, he had sent the boy whizzing through traffic, and the boy had ended up losing a tooth. It could have been much worse. His grip loosened, and Pitch could see he was leaning towards accepting the offer. Then, a strange, glowing light reflected in Pitch’s eyes. Jack looked up to see out-of-place Northern Lights.

“The Guardians.” He jumped up into a hover, recognizing the call. “I have to go.”

“Who said I’d let you leave?” Pitch growled.

“Well, you wanted me to earlier so- whoa!” Pitch fired three shadow spears in succession, Jack barely dodging each. “Okay nice talk let’s do this again some time!” He held onto his staff tightly and took off into the sky with a cold blast of wind.

Pitch sneered and watched him disappear as the lights retreated.

“I almost had him.” He cursed under his breath and went back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short, I know, but I'll have Chapter 4 up soon to make up for it!  
> For future notes, I'll hint at the beginning of the chapter if there'll be sexy times~  
> Please RnR!


	4. False Alarm

**Ch. 4- False Alarm**

Jack floated in through an open window, dodging the chaos of North’s workshop. “Lookin’ good, Jeff! Are you sure he wanted them painted red, not blue? Blue’s the new black, you know,” he told a yeti painting robots. The yeti grunted and pointed at a pile of red robots. “Hey, I’m just trying to help.” Jack threw his hands up and darted off to the control panel and globe. “North? I saw the lights, I came!” He floated over and landed, looking up at the globe. “Still so cool, never gets old...”

“Hi, Jack,” Tooth said as she darted over. He hardly had a chance to react before she was in his face with a big smile and a few MiniFairies at her side. “I see you’re taking care of your teeth!”

“Yes, yes, okay. Thank you. So, is this all hands on deck? New guardian? What’s going on?” He asked, staff across his shoulders. North thumped down the stairs and across to where Jack and Tooth were as the lights across the sky stopped.

“Just us three, Jack. Bunny is busy on Easter Island fixing tunnel network, and Sandy is following nighttime to spread good dreams after Halloween spooks,” North explained.

“Hey, Baby Tooth. I saw your friend out picking up teeth while I was with the trick-or-treaters.” Jack smiled as the MiniFairies buzzed around him.

“That’s, that’s actually why we’re here, Jack. Baby Tooth raised the alarm when she returned.”

“Sightings of Pitch, in your home territory,” North said, pointing at the globe. Jack looked at the globe, not reacting at first.

“Pitch Black? Like he’s back?” He played dumb.

“Jack... Baby Tooth said she saw his characteristic shadows near a house you were at with trick-or-treaters,” Toothiana said carefully. Jack continued to feign ignorance.

“A house...? I mean, I gave some older kids a haunted house spook and some candy, but Pitch? Didn’t see him,” he shrugged. “We beat him back hard- didn’t he get eaten by his own Night Mares?”

“Pitch always comes back, Jack,” North said, suddenly standing over him in an intimidating manner. “We have to be always alert.” Jack backed away with a mischievous smirk as North eyed him.

“Someone got started early on the eggnog,” he teased, waving a hand in front of his nose. Jack twirled his staff up and across his shoulders. “I didn’t see Pitch. And I think you guys are overreacting.” He twirled around, casting ice swirls on the ground with a hand in his pocket.

“You’re sure you didn’t see anything?” Tooth asked.

“The MiniFairies are very loyal, reliable, hard little workers. But it was Halloween. I’m sure she just saw some spooky decorations or something.”

“But you will be alert? If Pitch comes back, it is better we stop him early,” North said firmly. Jack looked up at the globe and the lights of children who believe. He remembered Bunnymund joking about how Pitch danced happily across the globe, snuffing lights as he nearly succeeded in taking over. He had a thoughtful face as he tried to imagine someone so serious acting goofy in any fashion- or happy at all.

“Jack,” Tooth brought him back to Earth.

“Yes, yeah, I’ll keep an eye out. Chill,” he winked. “North, our season is just around the corner- the lights will be brighter than ever! And you said, it’s my territory, so let me handle it. I’m just glad this wasn’t a real emergency because I might be in the mood for an early blizzard,” Jack smirked and floated up.

“I’ve gotta get back to work,” Tooth told North.

“As do I. Jack, just remember your responsibilities,” North said as Jack started floating away.

“Yeah, Guardian stuff, got it. Man, I’m glad I don’t have a holiday!” He laughed as he took off.

North looked at Tooth.

“He is taking things more seriously, isn’t he?”

“I... I think so. Glad it was a false alarm. Goodbye North!” Tooth also left to get back to her castle, trailed by the MiniFairies.

Jack finally got back to his current territory around midday. “Man, I missed movie night,” he said with a yawn. He returned to his favorite tree by the recess yard of the elementary school and settled in. He hugged his hoodie around himself and took a nap listening to kids laughing and having fun in the yard.

His conscience started to catch up with him a bit later as the laughter faded and recess ended. Jack wondered to himself why he’d lied about seeing Pitch. What was he afraid of? Fighting Pitch again, or fighting for the approval of his new friends? Sure, he’d been a guardian for a couple years now, but that was a flash in the pan compared to centuries of being on his own. He thought about what Pitch had offered. He figured either it was a trick and he could fight Pitch off while he was weak, or Pitch was right and he needed to face his own flaws and reckless behavior.

“Hundreds of years and I’m still a child,” Jack muttered to himself, standing up on the branch. “Snow day is gonna have to wait a little longer.” He took off and headed back for Pitch’s haunted house, staff at his side and cold wind following him.


	5. The Great Frost

**Ch. 5- The Great Frost**

Jack landed on the sidewalk in front of the house. It looked smaller and far less intimidating in daylight. A for-sale sign dangled from one chain under an aggressive vine. The property stood on its own, larger than the rest of the houses in the neighborhood and visibly older. Jack looked to make sure there were no kids around. Every now and then, he’d get one who could see him during fall or spring, but he also knew they should all be at school right now. Jack walked closer to the house. He was worried for a moment about getting caught by one of the Guardians, but he shook it off quickly. He had told them he would be alert, so all he was doing now was checking in on a lead. Jack thought if Pitch was smart, he would have taken off by now after his failure the night before. The gate was still open.

Staff at the ready, Jack pulled his hood over his head and walked up the pathway. What was probably once a beautiful wrap-around garden was now overgrown, messy, and starting to die from the chill of fall. Jack walked up to the door, face set in a deep frown. What if Pitch was still here and he was making a huge mistake facing him alone? Jack took a deep breath and knocked twice with his staff. After a few seconds with no response, he knocked again, three times, a little harder.

“See, he left. Nothing to worry about,” Jack muttered to himself. He opened the door and strolled inside. Most of the blinds and curtains were still drawn. The drapes for the front of the house were still torn from the night before. Though clearly in need of love and cleaning, the house was beautiful in the daylight. It had huge, arching windows, a tall foyer and den area, a curving, solid wood staircase leading to the second floor, and Gothic Victorian features in the details. Jack walked through, convinced he was alone, and passed a famous painting of the frozen Thames River. “Hey, I remember that. That was so much fun. Everyone was out skating or doing sports, or putting markets on the ice,” he reflected. Then, he saw a shadow move across him. He whirled around, only to see a bird flying from the window to the upstairs. “Good thing Bunny didn’t see that…” he muttered to himself, embarrassed.

“Back so soon?” Jack nearly jumped out of his skin at how close Pitch’s voice was. He turned, staff clutched tightly, to see Pitch beside the painting. “I remember this, too. One of my favorite meals was the fear of death as people fell under broken ice and got swept away by the river,” he chuckled.

“That’s horrible,” Jack scoffed.

“To you,” Pitch shrugged. “Why are you back? Where are the rest of the Guardians?” He glared at Jack.

“I told them to stay back. Let me try to handle things,” Jack shrugged. “But they’ll be here on a moment’s notice if I need them. They’re standing by.”

“You’re a bad liar, Jack,” Pitch grinned. “And you’re all alone right now.” He slipped into the shadow of a curtain and disappeared. Jack turned, scanning the room for him with his staff on point. “I sense doubt in you, little winter sprite. Doubt. Fear. Denial. Of course, if you denied it completely, you wouldn’t be here.” Pitch reappeared on the ceiling, the domed shape giving him plenty of darkness to spread out in. “I’m going to guess you’ve come back to accept my offer,” he said, looking down at Jack.

“No, I’m here to tell you to leave. This area is under my protection, and if you don’t want the Guardians raining down on you, you’ll find another spot and stop terrorizing children.”

“So political and defensive,” Pitch sighed, disappearing again. Suddenly, all the light in the house was wiped out. Curtains pulled and blinds closed themselves, bathing Jack in darkness. He cast frost in a circle, trying to use the magic glow to see, but it faded too quickly. “Did you forget what I’m capable of?” Jack felt himself lifted off the floor, and everything happened too fast for him to react. His staff was yanked away, and thick arms of shadow slammed him against the wall, holding him off the floor. He had a heavy shadow on each limb and pressure on his chest keeping him still. He grunted and writhed, summoning ice to try to freeze off the shadows holding him. “That’s a good look for you.” Pitch’s glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, and Jack’s eyes started to adjust to little bits of light coming through holes in the curtains and blinds. “Struggling in fear,” he smirked.

“Let me go! I could have attacked you. I could have brought the Guardians here, but I didn’t!” He said quickly.

“I thought you said they were on standby. Did you lie about that?” Pitch asked, leaning closer. “Naughty. You want to see if I’m right? You want to see the pain and fear your powers have caused? No backing out, now.” Pitch grabbed Jack’s head by the roots of his hair and yanked him over. “Let’s revisit your most infamous work.”

_Jack smiled, panting with effort, as the ice of the river closed under his feet. Sure, the river froze over most winters, but if he made this one extra-special, they’d have to see him. Notice him. Recognize his power and thank him for the wonders he could bring. Jack raced along the freshly solidified river, casting swirls of ice and sweeping them in freezing winds. He whooped and let his own wind toss him into the air in circles like a leaf blown from a dying tree._

_A week into his frosty attempts to show people he was real, and Jack was losing hope again. He thought for sure the patterns in the ice and the thickness of the river would have people laughing, playing, and believing there was a force besides the seasons bringing them fun. Instead, London locals continued moseying on with their lives, bundled from head to toe. Jack sat on a bridge and looked out at a family crossing to a market. They’re never going to see me, he thought. The sun baked his back fiercely, and the light reflecting off his ice and snow hurt his eyes. Jack whipped around and looked up at the sun, feeding anger into the wrong places._

_“The Man in the Moon chose me. I bring cold and winter and ice, and no one appreciates it! They just ask for you!” He pointed at the sun. “For bright light and warmth,” he frowned. “They can’t see how magical winter can be. They’ve forgotten how to have fun. I’m stronger than you! I can control you, too!” Jack blasted up into the sky, gathering clouds of ice crystals to block out the sunlight and cast cold down below. He surfaced above the clouds, surrounded by clear, blue skies, and spread his arms. “This area is mine. I’ll show them what a real winter looks like!” Jack funneled his anger and loneliness into a mighty wave of cold. He clapped his hands together on his staff and released the strongest beam of ice magic he’d ever conjured. Drained and dizzy, he started to fall back to Earth. Idiot, he cursed himself. Thinking you could take on the sun. Jack told himself he should stick to little things and joys rather than cosmic battles right before he crashed into a snowbank and passed out._

Pitch brought Jack back out of his memory briefly, holding his head up.

“How are you…?” Jack tried to ask, his mind swirling with questions but his energy drained.

“You froze Europe a few times, if I remember correctly. 1608. 1683. 1709. 1814. You really loved playing with that river. You had their accent back then.”

“I was being childish. I know that now.” Jack tried to pull away unsuccessfully.

“I’m not judging you,” Pitch chuckled. “You were experimenting with your powers, and I watched you. Did you realize when you threw your tantrums with the sun that you were actually blotting out its heat? Your cold reached through the expanse of space and chilled a spot on the sun. That’s why your winters were record lows.”

“I can’t block out the sun. I was being stupid.”

“But you can. And you have. You created sunspots that bathed the continent in ice. And you’ve been too scared of your powers to realize it.” Pitch cut Jack off before he could speak again. “You wanted to bring them fun, and they had fun.” Pitch shoved him back into the memory.

_Jack wandered the stalls, smiling at the bright faces. “See, I told you. The cold isn’t that bad. Your towns are so cramped. Look how much space there is when the river is frozen!” He threw his arms out and spun around. “This is me! I did this!” He pleaded with strangers who walked right through him. Jack slammed his staff on the ice. “I did this for you… The least you could do is thank me. See me.” A bowling ball went through his feet and knocked him over. “Whoa!” It knocked over wooden pins a few feet away. “Hey. That’s cool.” He watched a family pay a man for a set of pins and a ball, and he followed them to an open area of ice where they set up the sport._

_“Papa, show me how!” The young boy urged. His father showed him a good technique for rolling the heavy ball down at the pins, and he knocked down two himself. He handed the ball off to the boy, and Jack squatted down in the riverbank to watch with a wide grin._

_“Make sure you aim.”_

_“It’s really heavy!” The boy said as he lugged it over. He tried to mimic his father but ended up tossing the ball backwards. Jack laughed, and the boy’s mother hurried to get out of the way. Jack cast a rough patch of ice to keep the ball from rolling too far. The boy went after it, apologized, and tried again. Jack made a small channel in the ice to guide the ball, and the boy knocked down all of the pins._

_“Beginner’s luck,” his father teased._

_Jack smiled, but his sadness returned as the boy walked through him to pick up the pins. He took off, leaving a biting, cold wind behind._

“But you were still lonely and unseen,” Pitch said, bringing Jack back out of it again. Jack bit back misting tears.

“It’s different now! I got them to see me!”

“No thanks to North and his Guardians,” Pitch said. “They never cared that you couldn’t be seen. Some children even had the gall to thank Santa for winter because with it came Christmas. Never mind you were the one doing all the hard work.” Jack summoned his ice and blasted Pitch off himself with an angry shout.

“Stop it! That’s in the past!” Jack whipped cold wind through the room in a vortex, protecting himself in the center and bringing light back into the room as the curtains and blinds ruffled. “I didn’t come back so you could break into my mind! I came to tell you to leave!” Pitch realized he’d gone a little too far and was pushing the winter sprite away instead of baiting him in. He circled the vortex slowly, thinking of what to say. He ran his dark fingers through the vortex, feeding it shadow until Jack had no choice but to stop so he could see. Pitch stopped in front of Jack.

“I offered to show you the harm your winters have caused. To show you the fear you have wrought in people. So, let’s stop focusing on you, hm?” Jack pointed his staff at Pitch.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Maybe I don’t need to show you.” Pitch tilted his head. “Maybe you already know. I mean, there were books written and paintings made of the merriment on the Thames River during frost fairs, but surely you saw the death, too. What happened when your cold couldn’t last, and the ice melted faster than people could clear it? Entire markets drowned, people crushed beneath structures no longer supported… Freezing and drowning to death are terrible ways to go. Long deaths full of fear and hopelessness, of regret.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block memories of children he couldn’t save. One of his first times meeting North…

_“NO! Stop, come on! Freeze!” Jack ran across the ice after a child who had fallen in and been swept under the surface of the thick ice. He couldn’t see the young girl anymore. The river was too wide, and the ice was too thick. If he broke the ice down now, all the other people on the river would fall in, too. “No, no!” He kept running and checking each clear spot he could find. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean- the ice should have been thick enough there,” he rambled to himself, panicking as he looked for the girl. “I didn’t-” A large impact on the ice drew his attention. A heavy-set man in red with a large bag on his back had stepped out from the woods. His eyes were upstream, and he stood in front of a melting crack by the bank. Suddenly, he reached in, all the way up his arm, and pulled back, fishing out the little girl. Jack ran and flew clumsily up to them. “Is she okay? Can you help her? Please help her!”_

_“I can try,” North said. Jack looked up, shocked the man had responded to him, and finally recognized him._

_“Santa Claus,” Jack’s eyes widened. North brought an early Christmas miracle and revived the dying girl. She came spluttering back to life, and he covered her in a warm blanket._

_“Let’s get you home.”_

_“Thank you, sir…” she coughed into his shoulder._

_“Thank you, North, I’m so sorry, look, if there’s anything I can do-”_

_“You’ve done enough,” North said sternly. Jack froze in place as North walked away with the girl. He’s right, Jack thought. He could have killed her. And she probably wasn’t the only one._

“And that’s just one of your near-casualties,” Pitch muttered as he drew closer. Jack panted heavily, clutching his staff like a lifeline.

“I didn’t… mean to hurt anyone…,” he stammered, eyes wide with shame and fear.

“Jack…,” Pitch said, his voice quiet and hinting towards comfort. The dark spirit placed his hands on Jack’s shoulders, standing behind him. “You’ve only ever done what you do best. You bring chaotic frost and fun wherever you go, regardless of the consequences. I’m not just reminding you of things to hurt you. I’m doing it to show you how powerful you truly are. How powerful fear can be.” He squeezed Jack’s shoulders. The frost sprite weakened beneath him and went to his knees, his mind racing as Pitch encouraged memories of people cursing the cold, suffering, and speaking fearfully of how long and dark the winters were.

“That’s not… who I am anymore!” Jack burst out of his hold and cast powder snow in every direction, launching Pitch off himself. Jack started blasting dangerously sharp spears of ice at Pitch from his staff, pain fueling rage. “I am a Guardian!” Pitch scurried across the shadows in the corners, across walls, and behind furniture. “They believe in me now!” Pitch smirked as he found a good hiding spot to wait out Jack’s tantrum. “They trust in me!”

“Do they?” Pitch asked. “If they trusted you… why did you lie to them about seeing me last night?” Pitch tossed a guess into his question.

“What? How did… you know?”

“I didn’t until you just told me.” Pitch came out from behind a large, sheet-covered armchair, and took a seat. He folded his hands casually. “There’s a wall between you and the other Guardians. You feel it. You haven’t been with them long enough to earn their full trust.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut again and tapped his leg with the end of the staff, trying to concentrate.

“You’re up to something. I came here to stop you,” he reminded himself. “To stop you from haunting children.”

“Yet, last night, wasn’t it you who said there are better ways for me to do what I do? Weren’t you trying to reach out to me?” He grinned.

“Yeah. I was,” Jack huffed. “But you deflected and made this about me. Said you would never change.”

“I can’t change my nature, Jack. Just like you couldn’t produce a flame from your fingertips if I asked you to. So, what better ways were you thinking of?” Pitch stood again. “While we’re on the subject of me.” Jack eyed him.

“It was a stupid idea.”

“I’m listening.” Pitch wanted to slowly earn back his trust. He walked around the room, drawing curtains and blinds to let in the afternoon light. Jack had never gotten a good look at Pitch before. He was always sliding from shadow to shadow or changing shapes. In the light, he looked more human.

“It was a lot of hypotheticals. I thought… if the Man in the Moon gave you your powers, like he did for me, then there must have been a reason. North taught me that we all have a center. Mine is fun, not frost. I thought maybe you might have a bigger purpose than just bringing darkness to the world, like I have a bigger purpose than causing blizzards. After the battle, all the lights were back. The children of the world were hopeful. But it felt like something was missing. Bunnymund caught me trying to check on you a few times, actually,” Jack admitted. “I felt bad. Just like you said, we know what it’s like to be alone and invisible. To want to be… recognized.” Pitch let him speak, keeping his own face blank and emotionless as he listened. On the inside, he had mocked Jack’s attempts to sympathize with him until he mentioned their battle several years before. The battle that made Jack a Guardian. He ran a hand over his mouth and chin in thought.

“I don’t need your pity,” Pitch snapped.

“Look, either we find a compromise, or I have to go back to North and tell him you’re here terrorizing kids again.” Pitch chuckled.

“Is that how you think this game is played?”

“Stop playing the villain, Pitch. You’re just as hurt and dejected as I was. Only, there’s nothing likeable about your powers. Yet.” Pitch bared teeth at Jack.

“Cheeky.” He looked Jack up and down. “Explain.”

“What if you could use your powers for good?” Jack spat out. Pitch laughed suddenly, leaning back in a full cackle.

“Oh, you… telling me not to play the villain, then you go and say something as corny as a comic book hero… Where’s your fancy logo and colorful tights, Killer Frost?” He laughed, leaning on the armchair. Jack frowned and shot a snowball at him. Pitch dodged and shot a shadow spear back, nicking Jack in the leg.

“Ah!”

“Don’t forget who you’re dealing with.”

“I just think we don’t have to fight.” Jack spread his arms wildly as he talked. “I believe you were given your powers for a reason. And I don’t think it was to claim the world in darkness.”

“As entertaining as this was, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Nicely. Before I send you limping back to North with a broken staff.” Jack tucked the staff behind himself and took a few steps back. “I’m hungry. I could use a meal before the Guardians come ‘raining down on me’,” he finger-quoted.

“I won’t let you feed off these kids,” Jack said firmly.

“Preventing my nature is like if I took your powers away. You’ve no idea what this hunger is like.”

“There’s another way! There has to be! You- it- it can’t be your purpose to suck the joy out of children!”

“You can’t save everyone, Jack!” Pitch leaned closer, eyes glowing as the conversation made him notice just how hungry he was.

“Then use me!” Jack shouted. Pitch faltered. “You’ve said you can sense my fear. Use it. You can have mine, as long as you leave the children alone. You feed on my fear only, while I try to figure out how your powers fit into the big picture, and you leave the kids alone.” Jack said bravely. He inverted his staff in a show of submission.

“You’re bluffing. As soon as I back off, you’ll be casting lights in the sky to call the Guardians.” Pitch turned around, knowing he didn’t have much time to evacuate. He heard a clattering noise behind him. Jack had thrown his staff across the room.

“You said yourself that I’m a bad liar. I’m not lying. I’m trying to make a deal. A peace treaty.” He put his hand out. “I’ve stated my terms.” Pitch turned to face him slowly. Jack’s long life had created a delicious pool of centuries-long worries, paranoias, doubts, and fears. Jack noticed the shift in Pitch’s eyes as the dark spirit looked him up and down again, this time like he was a piece of perfectly cooked meat.

“You mean it.” He drew close, ignoring Jack’s hand and staring into his pale eyes. He moved to shake, and Jack pulled back.

“You have to mean it, too,” he said in a hard voice. “I want to hear you commit to the terms. I have to believe it.” Pitch was amused by the proposal and placed a hand on his chest.

“I swear… by the Man in the Moon. You will be my only source of fear for sustenance, I will not harm or haunt the children, and I will even help you try to find other uses for my powers. But if you refuse my hunger at any point, the deal is off.” He lowered his hand to shake. Jack swallowed, hoping he was doing the right thing, and shook hands with Pitch. Pitch’s grip tightened like a vice and he yanked Jack close against himself, nose to nose with the winter sprite. Jack stared wide-eyed up into glowing yellow pools. “Now, Jack… what do you fear most?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses for the frost sprite's biggest fears?


	6. Better in White

**Ch. 6- Better in White**

Before Jack could even think, he felt heavy, cold tendrils of darkness creeping quickly around him. In his mind’s eye, it was like the vines around the abandoned house were growing over him, squeezing the life out of him. He barely had a chance to scream before they pulled him to the floor on his knees. His mind was forced to its darkest depths, and he was plunged into his own doubts and fear-festered fantasies.

He woke on a warm, wooden floor. Everything in his body felt stiff. He reached blindly for his staff like a security blanket. Heavy footsteps fell in front of him as he sat up, his vision blurry. He could hear wings and the flow of sand, too. All the Guardians were looking at him as he rose from the floor. He was back at the North Pole.

“Hey… what happened?”

“Why don’t you tell us, mate?” Bunnymund snapped. His arms were crossed, one foot thumping against the ground in irritation, and he couldn’t look Jack in the eye. “Tell us why we found you on the floor of an old house, surrounded by frightened little kids. Why Pitch said you chose to help him.” He glared darkly at Jack.

“What?” Jack scoffed a laugh. “I didn’t- that- kids?” He was confused. Pitch had gone back on their deal? Already? Sandy floated in the back, looking frustrated.

“Jack, tell us it’s not true. We can understand if you wanted to try to face him on your own, but…” Toothiana hovered closer to Jack, looking for any excuse to forgive him. “Pitch said you made a deal with him, and that you broke it,” she said slowly.

“The truth, Jack. And I’ll know if you’re lying,” North said firmly, patting his forearm where the Naughty List was tattooed.

“The truth? I- I don’t remember much, okay, and I definitely don’t remember any kids being there!”

“You took an oath when you became a Guardian,” Bunny cut in, pointing the boomerang at Jack. “Don’t tell us after a couple short years you’ve already gone back on it.” Jack felt himself being backed into a literal corner. He looked around for his staff. “Oh, don’t worry. Sandy’s gonna hold onto yer staff for now,” he said, pointing to Sandy. The Sandman hovered a little higher. “Only he knows where it is.”

“You’re all acting like I betrayed you!” Jack gasped.

“Just tell us what happened, Jack,” Tooth pleaded.

“Fine! I made a deal with Pitch! I was trying to help him! I didn’t see any of you trying to help! But the deal was that I would help him find a good use for his powers and be his source of fear as long as he left the children alone. There shouldn’t have been any kids involved! If he broke the deal, then it’s on him! Now give me my staff so we can go after him!” Jack demanded. Bunnymund looked at North to see if Jack was telling the truth. North nodded.

“We will go after Pitch. You’re staying here,” North said.

“What? No, this is between him and me! I have to go!” Jack lunged at Sandman, but Bunny caught him and held him back.

“Sorry, mate. You’re a threat to the team right now. You don’t just go making deals with our greatest enemy behind our backs,” Bunny growled.

“But he’s not an enemy. If you’d stop making him one-”

“This is not for conversation,” North said. “Yetis!” Two yetis grabbed Jack and held him back by the arms.

“What! Give me my staff! You can’t do this! I’m one of you!” Tooth looked away, too tender-hearted to watch.

“We can’t trust your judgment,” Bunny said.

“The Man in the Moon chose _me_!” Jack shouted, struggling. The room swirled with cold winds, but his staff focused his power. He wasn’t very strong without it. Just then, the moon came into view above the Guardians and the workshop.

“Manny. Good timing. Give us some guidance,” North said with arms spread.

“This can’t be right…. Tell them! I’m just trying to do the right thing!” Jack pleaded with the moon. His voice was silent, but Jack’s staff appeared out of thin air and floated in front of him. Jack smiled, seeing it as a sign of encouragement. He yanked away from the yetis and reached for it, but as he did, the staff floated up, just out of reach, and snapped in half. Jack fell back like he’d been punched in the gut. “No…” The staff started to unravel and splinter until it was an unrecognizable pile of wood chips on the floor. “No!” Jack crawled towards it, running his hands through the pieces. Tooth curled up. Sandman and Bunnymund backed away. They agreed Jack shouldn’t be reaching out to Pitch but even this seemed extreme. North understood.

“You’ve broken your oath as Guardian,” he told Jack. “Even Man in Moon knows,” he glared.

“No! It can’t be right! It can’t! If- if this is what being a Guardian is, then I don’t want it!” He stood and stomped on the pile of wood. As though in response, Jack was lifted from the ground by a beam of moonlight. He gasped, and he felt like he knew what was happening. He felt like his soul was being pulled from his body. “No… no! No, stop! Please!” Jack pleaded. “Just- just listen to me!”

_“If you don’t want this responsibility, I’ll have it back. You will no longer be a Guardian. You will no longer protect. You will have no power. But I won’t kill you. I’ll let you live.”_

“No… no, no, no! They won’t see me! I’ll be alone again!” Jack felt like he was trapped in a nightmare. The last of his powers were sapped away and he fell to the floor. He reached up and pulled his hair down so he could see it- woodsy brown like it was hundreds of years ago. The biting air of the north started to eat at his exposed skin, and he hugged his hoodie closer. “No… no, I didn’t want this… I just wanted to help… North, please, you have to understand- ah!” Jack screamed as North stepped through him.

“What happened? What are we doing here?” North asked the others.

“I… can’t remember,” Tooth said as she uncurled herself. “I don’t even remember how I got here.”

“I was in my Warren. And now I’m here?” Bunny looked around, confused.

“Guys? Guys, I’m right here. Please, don’t do this. Not you, too. You could always see me! Nothing is different!” Jack scrambled to his feet and ran straight through Sandman, who had a question mark over his head. “NO!” He screamed. He clutched his head and nearly ran into a column. He started hyperventilating and hid under a table so things would stop going through him. “Please, please, please, no, give it back, I can’t do this again, I can’t…”

_Jack, I’m scared!_

_It’s okay, we’re just… we’re gonna have a little fun, instead!_

_No, we’re not!_

“Make it stop. Please!” Jack pleaded as voices circled his mind.

_They can’t see me. They still can’t see me._

Memories of catastrophic cold plagued him as he pulled himself into a tighter ball.

_Mommy… I can’t… feel my fingers…_

_Oh, God, they’re blue… quickly! We need to get inside!_

“I didn’t mean to!” Jack sobbed. “I just… I just wanted everyone to have fun. I don’t… I don’t want to be alone… please…” His head shot up. “Jamie. Jamie knows who I am.” Jack hurried back to his feet, smashing his head on the table. “Ow!” A snow globe rolled to the floor in front of him. “Yes! Yes, perfect! Take me to Jamie!” He smashed it on the floor and ran through the portal into Jamie’s room. It closed behind him. It was nighttime at Jamie’s house. Jamie was asleep. Jack ran to his side and tried to shake the boy awake. “Jamie! Jamie!” His hands went right through him. “That’s okay… it’ll be fine. Jamie!” He knocked over a lamp on his desk. Jamie snapped upright.

“What! What is it…” He looked around slowly, blinking until his eyes adjusted.

“Oh, Jamie, you won’t believe the day I’ve had… I’ve gotta… I’ve gotta fix things…” Jack sighed. Jamie got up to fix the lamp.

“Dumb thing…”

“Yeah, I did some really, really dumb things and-!” Jack gasped as Jamie walked through him and collapsed back into bed. “Jamie… I worked so hard. We had an adventure together! You and your friends helped us beat Pitch!” Jack shivered and looked around. The snow globe had reformed and was ready to be used again. “Pitch…” He grabbed the snow globe and took a portal to the old house. “Pitch! Face me! You did this! You broke our deal!” Pitch walked across the room aimlessly, face blank as ever, and walked right through Jack. Jack pressed himself back against the wall, feeling like everything was collapsing around him. “I’m alone again… I’m alone… no one can… no one… no one remembers…” He clutched his head, and then he heard children. He ran to the window to see a few kids walking up to the house.

“My big brother told me there’s this cool guy here who made the place a haunted house. He had the biggest bag of candy I’ve ever seen! I think maybe we can get some more, too.”

“But Halloween is over.”

“So? Everyone has leftovers.”

“No.” Jack looked around as Pitch chuckled darkly and hid in the shadows. “No, I won’t let you have them!” Jack was forced to watched helplessly as the young children wandered inside, tormented by Pitch and his tricks. A bit later, they ran out of the house screaming and crying. Jack had been invisible to everyone, despite his efforts to warn them and protect them. “This can’t be it… it can’t be…” Loneliness crept up on him colder than any storm he’d ever created. It crackled sharply in his chest and numbed his limbs as he went to all fours on the floor. He pressed his forehead into the rug, punching the floor until his knuckles bled. “I don’t want to be alone…”

“Delightful,” Pitch muttered to himself. “Horrible. So horrible.”

Jack screamed as he was released and collapsed. Pitch’s tendrils retreated, leaving Jack on the floor in the afternoon light. Pitch was thoroughly sated, but also concerned. He had never met someone with too much fear and doubt for him to handle. Jack’s nightmarish imagination would have continued torturing him had he allowed it. Jack’s eyes were lifeless as he cried silently, lying still in front of Pitch. “Please don’t forget me… please… please don’t let me be alone…” he muttered repeatedly under his breath. “Please…” Pitch leaned over Jack and ran a hand over his head.

“Rest now.” Jack fought it for a moment and then succumbed, falling asleep with a final, shivering sob. Pitch folded his hands behind his back and paced around Jack, deep in thought. He knew the horrors Jack Frost had lived through, but he’d had no idea about the ones he’d invented in his own mind. “One person shouldn’t be able to hold that much self-doubt and mistrust. What kind of friends are your Guardians that you can imagine such terrible things from them?” He looked at Jack as though expecting an answer. Instead, he was surprised to see Jack shivering. He weighed his options.

He had certainly been planning to break the deal. He had planned to take Jack’s fears, reenergize himself, and leave before the rest of the Guardians could find him. But watching the brave frost spirit now trembling on the floor, he was having second thoughts. He picked up Jack’s staff, remembering how he’d broken it and tossed it into a ravine with Jack and the baby tooth fairy. “You’re more resilient than this. More powerful. You deserve better.” Pitch fought with the feeling of guilt and sympathy until it won him over. He glided past Jack, and his dark shadows lifted Jack from the floor. “I’ll uphold the deal for now. If only to see what you can really do.” He took Jack upstairs to the main master and placed him on the white-sheeted old mattress. He found a blanket and shook it out then laid it over Jack. “If any of the other Guardians saw me doing this for you, I’d have to kill them just to wipe out the memory,” he scoffed. He watched over Jack as he slept, warding off the nightmares attempting to return to him. “… I don’t think the Man in the Moon is capable of taking your powers,” he muttered to the sleeping sprite. “Else he’d have taken mine a long time ago. Besides, you look better in white.” Pitch found a chair nearby and decided to rest through the night as well.


	7. Quid Pro Quo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice long chapter for the long weekend!

**Ch. 7- Quid Pro Quo**

Jack woke suddenly, sprawled awkwardly across the mattress with the blanket half-hanging off his head. Dawn had just barely peaked, early blue light glowing through the blinds. Jack held his hands out and summoned his staff, starting to relax slightly as it sprang to his palms obediently. He sighed and then grabbed his hair, pulling it down so he could see it. Platinum white still. He flopped back on the mattress with a loud groan of relief and then clutched his head. “Ow… my everything… is it gonna be like that every time?” He asked in a low voice, unsure if Pitch was there and listening. “My head…” His temples pulsed and throbbed painfully behind his eyes. Closing his eyes hurt just as much as the small bit of light in the room. He pulled the blanket over his head and then realized he was on a mattress with a blanket. He wondered if Pitch was really kind enough to move him or if someone else had found him.

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” Pitch finally said, his quiet voice coming from a dark corner.

“A bit! Ah…” Jack sat up and then hunched over, trying to rub the pain from his head. “I can’t… think…”

“It will fade,” Pitch let out a small huff. He couldn’t allow himself to care about the boy and his pain. It would affect his end goals.

“Is this what the kids feel like? How could you do this to them!” Jack glared up at him with one squinted eye, the migraine becoming worse the more he tried to move and converse.

“No, it doesn’t have this effect on children.” Pitch had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. “If you must know, I wasn’t prepared for your nightmares. I’ve known your fears for a long time, but I had no idea the depth of your doubtful fantasies. You took me for a ride,” he smirked. He placed a hand on Jack’s chest and shoved him back against the mattress. “Now, rest.” Jack groaned but didn’t fight him. “I need to figure out a way to feed from you without getting lost in your torment.”

“I can’t rest. I promised to help you.” Jack rolled to his side and leaned up on an elbow. “Wait. What time is it?”

“Sunrise. Why?” Pitch glared at the bit of light streaming in through the cracks in the blinds.

“I was supposed to make it snow! I promised some of the kids I’d get them out early for their weekend!” Pitch stood in front of the window and blocked it with thickening, swirling shadows.

“You’re not going anywhere like that. You can barely stand.”

“Why do you care?” Jack sneered, stumbling around the room and trying to use his staff as a walking stick.

“I don’t,” Pitch said, no humor in his face at all. “I know if any of the Guardians see you weakened, they’ll connect it back to me. I can’t allow that.”

“I won’t let them see me. I made a deal with you. But I don’t go back on my word, ever. Whether it’s a simple snow day or giving a dark spirit a second chance, I follow through.”

“You won’t even make it to the school,” Pitch scoffed.

“Watch me.” Jack glared and brought a cold, gale-force wind into the room with a tap of his staff, blowing the window open and knocking Pitch away from it. He curled away from the intruding light with a look of disgust. Jack lifted off the ground, trying to ignore the pain in his head, and took off out the window. Pitch hurried to the window to watch. Jack fumbled through the air like when he was first learning to fly, and he smashed into the furthest tree on the property. He hit every branch on the way down, landing on a bed of overgrown shrubs. Pitch was amused but too annoyed to laugh. He reappeared by Jack’s side a moment later.

“I watched,” he said, unable to resist a taunt.

“Shut up…,” Jack grumbled. “I only have a little time left. If it snows while they’re at school, it won’t be safe for them to travel once it’s canceled.” He rolled and crawled awkwardly out of the bushes, his hair full of leaves and spiderwebs.

“If you refuse to stay put, I insist on going with you.”

“Why, so you can learn the best ways to attack the kids?” Jack stood defensively, though his eyes showed the immense pain he was in.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Jack shook his head.

“Break the deal, and I’ll seal you in the river,” Jack threatened. Pitch lifted his hands in casual surrender with a small smile. He kept quiet, though he wanted to continue their dominance banter. Jack started running, knowing it was his best shot if he couldn’t fly straight right now. Pitch stopped at an intersection.

“Isn’t the school the other direction?”

“I need to hit the weather station first so the news alert goes out.” Pitch followed, casting a shade over himself as the sun rose higher. Jack skidded to a stop in front of the weather station and clasped his hands together over his staff. Pitch watched, intrigued, as dark clouds swirled suddenly over the antenna-covered building. Jack’s loose clothes ruffled around him as the wind grew colder and drier. Ice crystals whipped past them, up into the clouds, and Jack released his magic, arching back with a sharp exhale. The wind stopped with a spooky silence, and fat flakes started to sprinkle down from above. The clouds multiplied on their own, spreading across the town quickly. Jack panted as he looked up at the storm. He crept around the fence protecting the building and watched as people came out, confused and surprised.

“It came out of nowhere…”

“It’s a little early, but it’s happened before.”

“It’s dry and heavy. We need to broadcast.”

“On it!” He heard the weather crew scramble to get news of the storm out to the town.

“Yes,” Jack grinned. For a moment, he forgot Pitch was with him, and he half-ran, half-flew across town to a small apartment near downtown. He went up to the third-floor window, second to the left, and peeked in. A young girl was watching the news with her mother, all set and ready for school.

“Snow day!” She squealed and ran in circles. Her mother sighed and left the room on the phone, Jack assumed to call a sitter or call in from work. He perched on his staff outside the window and smiled fondly. The girl stopped when she saw him. “Jack Frost came early!” She giggled. “Thank you, Jack!” Jack was still surprised every time a child could see him. He winked and flew away with a peaceful look on his face.

“Snow day for Alice and her friends, check.” He landed in a tree near the park and looked around for Pitch, remembering his next promise. His headache had faded, pulsing lightly behind his eyes every time he focused on it for too long. “Pitch?”

“That was clever. I never thought of utilizing their technology,” he said, pacing the base of the tree. Jack frowned and hopped down. He slipped on his own ice and smacked his head on the tree.

“Ow!” Pitch looked down on him with withdrawn disinterest.

“I’m finding it harder to believe how well you fought me,” he shook his head. Jack sat up, rubbing his head, and noticed Pitch was still clinging to shade and shadows.

“We should get back to the house. Get you out of the light.”

“Yes.” Pitch cast out a thick, inky shadow around them both. Jack gripped his staff, afraid of another attack, but then they were suddenly back in the old house. Pitch went back to the armchair and took a seat. The terms of their deal resonated in Jack’s mind like a spell. He stood and paced, casting swirls of ice on the floor as he thought.

“In order to help you find a better purpose for your powers, I need to know more about them. If I were to list what I think your powers include, I could probably write a book. So, what do you know about them?” Pitch pressed his fingertips together, curious to see how the frost sprite would try to maintain their deal.

“I’m not certain the limit of my powers. Almost everything I’ve tried to do, I can do, with enough concentration. From what I’ve seen of you, your limits are similarly unbounded, as long as you have that staff.”

“I can cast without it. It just makes it easier to focus,” Jack shrugged. He gave Pitch a curious look. “Our last battle, you had a huge scythe. Was it just for show, or did it help?”

“What, this?” Pitch threw his hand out and summoned the enormous scythe. The blade filled almost half the room. “I came up with it around the fourteenth century when I was traveling kingdoms with sprawling farmlands. I found if I had a tool that the people recognized, it was easier to relate to them and creep into their minds. They started calling me the Grim Reaper around the time of the Bubonic Plague.”

“The Black Death,” Jack muttered.

“Yes. But it doesn’t increase my powers at all. It’s just a symbol.” Jack stood his staff up on its own and leaned on it like a young tree.

“Hm. The other night, you threw a shadow net at me. That was new.”

“To you,” Pitch creased his brows and made the scythe disappear.

“So, can you make anything?”

“It was simpler with the dream sand. More responsive. Generally, yes, I can create shadows of objects at will.”

“What about people?”

“I cannot replicate people very well. But I can possess them. And animals, and objects.” Jack’s eyes widened.

“That’s a little terrifying. I imagine that trick comes in handy. But, you didn’t use it during the last battle.”

“It’s dreadfully exhausting.” Jack crouched and spun around his floating staff playfully. Pitch wondered if it was physically impossible for the sprite to sit still. He let the silence sit as Jack pondered. “How’s your head?” He asked after a moment.

“Hm? Better. Reminds me, uh,” Jack paused, looking a little nervous as he rubbed the back of his neck, “how- how often are you going to need my fear?”

“I’m always hungry, Jack.” Pitch watched the light in Jack’s eyes dim and let him worry for a moment before he continued. “In fact, last night was the first time I’ve ever actually had my fill. I was going to require it daily, but I’ve since changed my mind. Once every forty-eight hours should be plenty.” Jack grimaced.

“I was hoping it would be closer to the once-a-week range…”

“Do humans eat once a week?” Pitch compared.

“No…”

“No, they eat thrice a day.”

“Who says ‘thrice’ anymore?” Jack scoffed. Pitch scowled. “Okay, well, my first idea was to catalogue and test out all of your powers. If it drains you, I’ll let you… use whatever you need to use from me.” Jack didn’t like the term ‘feeding.’

“Why do you want to help me so badly?”

“Is it wrong to want to help people?”

“You must have a reason.” Pitch stood, arms behind his back, and approached Jack.

“I just like helping. It feels good. When’s the last time you tried it?” He snapped, glaring back as he started to feel uneasy.

“I could have let you sleep on the floor,” Pitch shrugged and glided away. Jack’s lip twisted.

“Thank you for that,” he muttered quietly. “Okay, if I really think about it, I want to help because I don’t feel right about how our battle ended. I didn’t like that the others were okay with you just disappearing. I thought maybe you were dead. It didn’t feel good.”

“That’s how wars are, Jack,” Pitch chuckled. “One side has to lose everything for the other side to be victorious.” He tilted his head. “Where have you been the last hundred wars the humans have had on Earth?”

“I avoid them. I’ve always been drawn to helping children have fun. There’s not a lot of that in war zones.” He started to get uncomfortable, playing with his hoodie strings.

“For someone who fights like a warrior, you have the naïve mind of an innocent.”

“I’m going to choose to focus on the compliment that was in the statement, not the insult.” Jack shook his head and walked up to a large mirror on the wall above the mantle. He cast ice and swirls of magic to clear it off, polishing it free of plants, dust, and age. “If I’m going to figure out your powers, I need to categorize them.” He cast a form of permafrost on the mirror and etched into it with his powers. “First column, shadow-based powers. So, your ability to create things. Shadow objects,” he listed in the first column. “Teleportation.” Pitch let him work, somewhat entertained. “That- that- when you shrink into darkness and move through shadows, what would you call that?” Pitch raised a brow.

“Shadow travel?” He said like it was obvious.

“Very creative,” Jack said with a sarcastic smirk as he wrote it up in the frost. “Next column, let’s see… you have a form of telepathy. Let’s go with telepathic powers.” He tapped his chin with the staff, unaware of how cold he was making the room. “So, you can kind of control what someone thinks about, but you don’t create nightmares. You encourage them. You can only use what’s already there, right?” Pitch nodded.

“I have some creative license, but generally it’s just discovery and manipulation. People are often their own worst enemies. Like how you assume one little slip-up and the Man in the Moon will strip your powers,” he grinned with gray teeth. Jack frowned.

“I know it wouldn’t happen,” he said defensively.

“Do you?” Pitch tilted his head. His yellow eyes glowed. “We could revisit that part specifically next time.” Jack’s head throbbed with lingering ache, and he turned away.

“Let’s just call that ‘mind break.’ Like breaking and entering, since you can’t steal something that isn’t there. Different from nightmares though, since you can do one when people are asleep and one when they’re awake. And both give you energy?”

“Yes. Though I’m starting to question if I’m comfortable with you knowing this much about me. Should this deal not work out, you could take this knowledge back to the Guardians…,” he thought aloud.

“I’m not going to break our deal. I made a promise when I shook your hand. I never break a promise,” Jack said firmly. “So, if I go back to the Guardians, it’s because you broke the deal, not me.” He pointed the staff at Pitch. Pitch grinned again. This was proving to be more fun than he anticipated. He swooped in closer to Jack, arching the boy backwards as he leaned over him.

“And what if I don’t care about the deal? What if I just want to unlock your mind and break you down? You’re the only Guardian who could give me a good fight on your own. With you out of the way, I wouldn’t even need full power to take over.” Jack hovered back, gripping the staff.

“It’ll end the same way it did last time,” Jack frowned. Pitch looked at the mirror, his own breath fogging in the cold room. He thought about the categories Jack was creating.

“Add empath sensory to telepathic powers,” he instructed. “I can sense concentrations of fear. It could be a child having a nightmare or an adult standing on the edge of a bridge.” Jack looked at Pitch warily. He seemed to be shifting back and forth in his mood, and him trying to figure out if Pitch wanted to work together or fight was a dangerous game. He etched ‘empath sensory’ into the column.

“Can you smell fear?” Jack smirked, attempting to lighten the mood. Pitch looked back down at him, again tempted to roll his eyes.

“No. And I repulse the thought.”

“We have two columns: shadow-based powers and telepathic powers. You have a range of things you can do with either, but they have to be based in darkness or fear. The next step is weaknesses.”

“We’re not listing weaknesses,” Pitch said, walking away.

“It’s only fair,” Jack said. “I need to know so I can help you. And you’re going to learn everything about me when you feed off my fear.”

“So, now it’s quid pro quo?” Pitch asked, not fully turning to speak to him.

“I-” Jack struggled to find words. “Yeah,” he nodded. Jack crouched into a defensive position as Pitch disappeared again.

“Then we will go over one weakness at a time as I learn yours. Either you can tell me, or we can wait until I force you into another fear-filled fantasy.”

“You really like alliteration, don’t you?” Jack leaned on his staff with a playful smile. Pitch, while entertained and surprised by Jack’s ability to bounce back to his jovial self, was equally irritated by the sprite. He snagged the staff with his shadows and yanked it out from under Jack, knocking him over.

“You really like pissing me off, don’t you?” He hissed. “You missed a column. Fearlings. Remember them?” Pitch summoned a few of the small, yellow- and red-eyed shadows and let them crawl up to Jack, sniffing at him for bits of fear or doubts they could nibble at. Jack scrambled back away from them.

“Ach! Get them away from me!” Jack swatted one away, but his hand went through it like shadow. “I’m just trying to help you!” Pitch took a deep breath and the fearlings disappeared.

“Just remember… I’m not your friend,” Pitch said with teeth bared. “We have an accord, not an acquaintanceship.” Jack stood and brushed himself off. He knew he really shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help another laugh. “What about that is funny to you?”

“You did it again,” he snickered. “You talk like an old fairytale book.” Jack dropped his voice lower and mimicked Pitch’s accent. “An accord! Not an acquaintanceship!” He laughed harder.

“I keep forgetting I’m dealing with a child.”

“Hey! I’m not that much younger than you!” Jack defended. “Look, let’s just… any other powers I should know about?” He pointed at the mirror.

“Several.” Pitch sighed and decided to comply, listing off more of his abilities for Jack. Jack kept a wary eye on him, but for the rest of the conversation, Pitch seemed a bit more withdrawn.


	8. Disperse

**Ch. 8- Disperse**

Pitch looked back from their notes. When they ran out of space on the mirror, Pitch had teleported and retrieved a few notebooks and pens. He scanned over the pages, wondering why he had never thought to record his own abilities and explore them deeper. He had been content for centuries commanding darkness. He had never tried to practice or master specific skills aside from converting Sandman’s dream sand. It had only taken him a few decades to master that alone, so how much power could he have trained in himself if he had taken the time to catalogue and perfect his talents?

“Now I want to see it,” Jack said after a long pause.

“See what?”

“All of it.” He picked up one of the notebooks. “I didn’t know you could do half these things. In fact… there’s a lot of it that I can mimic with my own powers. We’ll do it together,” he said with a bright smile. Pitch was starting to find Jack’s bright disposition contagious.

“Very well. I don’t think you can copy everything though. I have the fearlings.”

“Maybe I can make something like that. A frostling!” He snapped his fingers. Pitch smirked, and he was about to shoot the idea down, but Jack kept rambling. “I’ve brought my ice to life before. I could do it again.” Jack thought for a moment on what he thought a frostling would look like.

“Do you understand what the fearlings are?”

“No, and I don’t think I want to know,” Jack said, not looking at Pitch as he focused on his own powers. He crouched down and made a pile of powder snow from the end of his staff. He set the staff down and started forming large, delicate snowflakes between his hands. Pitch watched the sprite work, his fingers delicate and quick like a harpist’s. Jack crafted the shapes and then flicked away bits and cut-outs until they looked like large glass ornaments. He made three, each different, and then set them on the floor and knelt in front of them. Pitch glided silently behind Jack, looking over his shoulder as he concentrated and brought the three snowflakes to life. They floated up in front of him and twirled, seeming like they had been imbued with a sense of fun.

“Sentient snowflakes,” Pitch said, his tone a little judgmental.

“It worked,” Jack laughed softly under his breath. He flicked one and let it go spinning through the air. He stood and started chasing them around like a cat. Pitch found himself smiling at Jack’s behavior and then realized himself. He summoned several fearlings and sent them after the snowflakes with a tilt of his head. Jack didn’t notice until one climbed up him to get at the snowflake high in the air. “Hey! Get back here, you little-” Jack grabbed at the fearling and missed. It leapt onto his snowflake and bit one of the icy arms off, chewing it thoughtfully. It cackled and started biting at the flake more, sending it spinning and smashing into the wall. The fearling fell to the floor and scurried into the shadows before Jack could get to it.

“Your creations are a little fragile,” Pitch said with a thin-lipped grin. Jack glared at him as the fearlings brought down his other two snowflakes. Jack knew as his promise repeated in his mind that he should be focusing on helping Pitch, but seeing his newest creations destroyed so easily was disheartening. He threw his staff down and cracked his knuckles, then he closed his eyes and conjured a massive block of ice in the shape of a snowflake. It spun outward from his hands until it was as large as a person, and Pitch couldn’t get out of the way before it smashed him into the wall. It floated away from him and rotated slowly, coming to hover beside Jack.

“This one’s not,” he smirked. Pitch peeled off the wall from his shadow form and brushed himself off to reclaim his dignity. He gathered shadows between his hands and shot spears at Jack, angered but calm. Jack leapt onto the large snowflake and spun with it as it blocked the spears.

“Whoo!” He shouted and laughed. The snowflake flew up in the space, and Pitch continued shooting at Jack, grazing him between the arms of the snowflake. Jack flattened the snowflake and surfed through the air on it. He sharpened the forward arm down to a point as he flew at Pitch. Pitch dissolved into a shadow on the ground and Jack smashed into the wall, his snowflake speared into the drywall. Pitch rose back up and knocked Jack off the snowflake then brought shadows up to destroy the fancy block of ice. Jack rolled backwards and jumped to his feet. He ignored the cuts from Pitch’s shadow spears and grabbed his staff. He started conjuring perfect snowballs and lined them along his staff. He held the staff like a rifle and started shooting snowballs at Pitch rapid-fire. The kick-back made him float into the air. Pitch was growing more irritated, but Jack was still having fun.

“You want to see my powers?” Pitch went down the list. For shadow objects, he copied Jack’s snowballs and made thick orbs of shadow and darkness. His were infected with fear, though, whereas everything Jack made came with a sensation of fun and encouragement. Pitch spun out his scythe and used the blunt end the same as Jack to shoot shadow orbs at him. The two spirits matched each other, most of their shots hitting in the middle between them. Pitch spun his scythe to create a shield as he moved to the next power, teleportation and shadow-travel. Jack had no way to copy that, but he was fast. Everywhere Pitch reappeared, Jack was ready with snowballs firing. After circling the room several times, Pitch sprang out in the middle and fired shadow orbs in every direction. Jack didn’t have time to shoot and defend, so he took an orb to the chest as he fired at Pitch. Pitch took the hit at the same time, falling back as Jack did, too. Pitch sat up, laughing heartily. “You put up a good fight,” he admitted. Jack didn’t recover as quickly, though. The fear in the orb had him crawling away from Pitch, blinking as blackness took over his eyes. He seemed to be struggling, trying not to listen to unheard words of doubt and hatred. Pitch stood and glided over to him. “Frost?” Jack took a deep breath and the darkness cleared. He seemed to glow with a dim, white light.

“I’m fine. We, uh, got distracted,” he said, looking at the mess they’d made. The room was littered with swirled structures of dark ice and snow. Pitch followed his gaze, impressed by their creations. It reminded him of their brief scuffle in Antarctica. “But we went through the first section of powers.”

“You were right. You have a parallel to most of my powers, but I noticed you can’t teleport.”

“No. But I was keeping up with you,” Jack smiled proudly. “I could kind of tell where you were going, where you would pop up next.” Pitch couldn’t help a smile in return.

“I noticed. Have you ever tried a non-solid form?”

“Uh… no. I don’t think I can. What form would I take? Ice? Snow?” He shook his head. “We’re going through your powers. Not mine. I’m sorry I got distracted.” Pitch had a sudden realization with the similarities in their powers and backed away.

“Wait. Shoot me again,” he said.

“With a snowball?” Jack looked at Pitch like he was crazy.

“Yes! Right here, again.” He pointed to his chest. Jack followed the vee of Pitch’s cloak and shrugged.

“Alright.” He kicked his staff up in a twirl and aimed, then he shot another snowball at Pitch. He was more prepared for the hit this time and held still. A bubble of laughter escaped him immediately after the shot, and his eyes glowed. He covered his mouth, surprised.

“Now, my turn.” Pitch made another shadow orb. Jack swallowed nervously, but he held still for Pitch and took the shot to the chest. Jack’s head filled with cruel voices again, and his eyes turned black. He glared at Pitch, suddenly angry and paranoid and fearful all at once. He started casting ice recklessly in every direction. Unlike his playful powder, though, this ice was sharp, solid, and dangerous. Pitch backed up to watch. Jack leaned on the wall, casting frost around himself. He gripped his head, obviously trying to fight whatever the shadow orb had done to him, and then he threw his hands out and cast spears of ice around himself, pointing outwards in a kind of defensive circle. One of Jack’s signature moves was to make it snow indoors, but this time, it started hailing. Pitch cast a shade over himself to protect from the growing chunks of sharp ice dropping from seemingly nowhere near the ceiling. It got louder in the room as they shattered to the floor. Jack leaned against the wall and seemed to be concentrating and breathing harder. Very slowly, the black faded from his eyes and his white glow returned.

“What was that?” He asked slowly.

“It seems that our powers are both infectious. Yours made me laugh, and mine made you afraid and vengeful.”

“Let’s not do that again,” Jack said, starting to clear his ice. He walked around the room with a hand out, cleaning up the mess of mostly frost and snow.

“Agreed,” Pitch looked away, not fond of the odd feeling Jack’s ‘fun’ snowball had given him. He eyed Jack without moving, staring until Jack looked back and caught his gaze.

“What?”

“We’ve been at this all day. Any theories yet?”

“Not really. Your powers are so dark… I need some time to think.” Jack said, leaning on the staff again. He remembered their conversation about war and innocence, grimacing. “Pitch, can you explain the fearlings to me?”

“I thought you didn’t want to know,” he responded.

“I don’t want to know, but I need to know if I’m going to understand your purpose.” Pitch thought on it for a moment.

“Stand back.” Pitch went to the middle of the room, and Jack went to the corner. “A small percentage of them used to be children.” He summoned about two dozen into the large room, each one shifty and twitchy. “They were consumed by fear. Orphans worked to the bone in dismal factories. Stuck chimney sweeps nearly burnt alive. Many near-death experiences. You know all about that, though, don’t you, Jack?” Pitch walked between the rows of fearlings, some taller than others, and looked back at Jack as he rubbed one’s head. “I know each of their stories.” Jack looked on with horror and worry. “Don’t look so concerned. There’s nothing either of us could have done for them. Quite a few I put out of their misery.”

“And instead of dying, they now serve you,” Jack said, hatred tinting his voice and darkening his eyes.

“I haven’t turned anyone against their will since long before you were created. These here all agreed to join me on their own.”

“Agreed? Or were they coerced?”

“You wanted to know,” Pitch reminded him. “As I remember, you almost joined me, as well,” he said with a dark look leaning towards a smile. Jack frowned.

“What about the rest? I know you have more than this.”

“Disperse.” Pitch waved a hand, and the fearlings disappeared. “The rest are consequential. I don’t know where they came from. They’ve followed me for as long as I can remember. They’re quite loyal, as long as they’re kept fed.” Pitch folded his hands behind his back. “Speaking of…,” he looked Jack up and down.

“You said forty-eight hours.”

“I also said I’m always hungry, and that if you refuse me, the deal is off. You made me use a lot of energy today, Jack.” He said the sprite’s name like venom dripping from a snake’s fangs. Jack’s brows knitted together, and he gripped the staff before slowly releasing his grip and letting it rest against the wall.

“Okay.”

“There’s a good lad. Why don’t you take a seat this time?” Jack reluctantly left his staff and sat in the sheeted armchair, tense. Thick loops of shadow suddenly pinned him to the chair, tightening around his wrists, ankles, and neck. He gasped, more from shock than fear, and resisted the urge to struggle. Pitch strode in front of him. “Before we get started, I thought you’d like to know I invited someone.” Pitch waved for a shadow across the room to open the front door. Jamie walked in cautiously. Jack’s eyes went wide.

“What’s he doing here, Pitch!” He demanded. Another loop of shadow covered his mouth. Pitch slammed the door and swept Jamie up in his shadows. He used his tendrils across the house to gather one of the dining rooms chairs and deposited Jamie across from Jack, also bound with shadows.

“Jack! What’s going on?” Jamie fearfully laid eyes on Pitch and put on a fake face of bravery. “Pitch Black. We’ve beat you before, we can do it aga-mm!” Pitch sighed in exertion and covered Jamie’s mouth as well. “This is really your fault, Jack. You wanted to know how fearlings come about. Now you can watch.” Jack’s energy was reignited as he tried to break free to save Jamie. Pitch circled the boy and placed his hands on his shoulders. Jamie’s eyes went dark, and then his body went limp as swirls of shadow surrounded him. Jack’s shouts and protests were muffled under the shadow gag, and the shadows wouldn’t retreat no matter how much he tried to freeze them off. He tried to call his staff, but the shadows were swarming him and seemed to be cutting off his magic. Jack’s mind raced as he watched fear consume Jamie in an unseen nightmare. Moments later, Jamie stopped struggling and woke again. His entire body turned to shadow, and he rose from the chair slowly.

“It’s okay, Jack. I still believe. I believe… Pitch knows what’s best. It’s a scary world…” He hugged himself and started shrinking to the size of a fearling.

“Why couldn’t you save him, Jack?” Pitch taunted, removing the shadow gag.

“Jamie, no! No! Look at me, okay, look at me! Everything’s going to be fine! Stay with me!”

“Tell him the truth, Jack. Tell him it won’t be fine. Tell him he’s going to serve me for the rest of his miserable, fearful life.”

“No!”

“Tell him you failed,” Pitch hissed.

“Please!” Jack gathered energy at his core as the shadows crept across his body, and with a cry, he released his frost power. The chair went flying, and Jack snapped out of his nightmare. Pitch went flying across the room and crashed to the floor. Jack looked around. “Jamie? Jamie! Bring him back, Pitch!” Pitch slowly rose onto an elbow, panting. He held a hand out towards Jack and restrained him with a few tendrils of shadow. Jack pulled at them, stepping slowly like he was stuck in the mud. “Stop it! You said you wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

“I haven’t!” Pitch snapped. “Calm down! Jamie was never here!” Jack slowly stopped fighting.

“That was you?” Jack said, confused. “It was so real…”

“I went for your fear of failure this time, thinking it might be less potent. I was wrong.” Pitch released him. Jack couldn’t see well and went to the window.

“It’s nighttime?”

“Time is different in dreams.” Pitch put his hands behind his back and glided away from the window. He wasn’t sure of the moon phase and didn’t want to test the Man in the Moon. Their deal resonated in Jack’s mind again.

“I refused you. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was a dream.”

“I’ll find something else to target. You have lots of fears,” Pitch excused him.

“Are you- is that enough for now…?” Jack felt guilty. Pitch turned to look at him, confused.

“Why are you apologetic right now?”

“Because I made a deal, a promise! And I broke it!”

“You haven’t broken it,” Pitch rolled his eyes. “I pushed you too far again. You’re more powerful than I give you credit for.” Jack stomped back to the chair.

“Come on.”

“What?” Pitch turned, scoffing at him. “Again? I don’t feel like trying again right now.”

“Then let’s go through more of your powers until you do feel like it again. Come on, try- do something with the fearlings!”

“Do something with the- do you hear yourself?” Pitch came closer, eyes narrowed. “I can’t believe someone so powerful can be such a barmy simpleton.” Before Jack could come back at him, Pitch summoned a dozen fearlings and sent them after Jack. “Keep him quiet for me,” he told them. Jack jumped back and summoned his staff, sending out frost to keep them at bay. The fearlings chased him out of the house, giving Pitch the quiet he asked for. “He actually thinks he can find a good use for my powers… I don’t even know a good use for them,” he muttered to himself. Then, Pitch realized Jack was outside. Though it was only a half-moon, it was risky for Jack to be seen fighting off fearlings. He rushed outside and called them off, finding Jack had climbed a tree and was fending them off from the branches.

“I really don’t like those things. They’re no fun,” he said as he jumped down.

“Come back inside.”

“How about no? I’m gonna… go make it snow somewhere. Part of this is that you’re supposed to _let_ me help you,” he emphasized. “I’ll come back when you’re in a better mood.” Jack started to fly off, but Pitch grabbed his arm.

“If they see you, our deal is ruined!”

“I spent centuries being unseen,” Jack glared at him. “I won’t break my word, but I won’t hide out here until I’ve fulfilled it, either.” He yanked away from Pitch and flew off. Pitch cursed his recklessness and went back inside, wondering if he should find another hideout. He remembered that he’d told Jack he wouldn’t let him out of his sight. Unless he kept up, Jack would be making a liar of him. He growled and went after Jack, chasing the sprite’s shadow as he flew through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following link has some plot/book spoilers, but at the bottom of the page are pictures of Joyce's original Fearlings:  
> https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/Nicholas_St._North_and_the_Battle_of_the_Nightmare_King
> 
> However, when I wrote the fearlings, before doing too much of my canonical research, I imagined them a little more like black Sableye Pokemon, moving like the creepy, twitchy version in Pokemon Go. 
> 
> I specifically leave their descriptions nonexistent to vague because I believe a creature based on fear is best imagined in the mind of the reader. 
> 
> Do you have a different image in your head for the fearlings? Comment!
> 
> Thank you, as always, for reading and for all the Kudos!


	9. It's Like Flying

**Ch. 9- It’s Like Flying**

Jack flew out over the town, shooting himself upwards into the night and then letting himself fall back down. The free-fall was one of his favorite parts of flying. Cold wind raced to keep him aloft paired with sparkling frost and flakes here and there. Jack relaxed in the freezing air, forgetting his induced nightmares and smiling, eyes closed, into the breeze. Pitch followed silently, jumping from shadow to shadow and keeping up easily. A small piece of him longed to join Jack in free flight, but he knew if he were to be seen it might not end so well for him. Jack flew out to the woods, tapping treetops with his staff and free hand playfully. He looped and spun and somersaulted mid-air, at times stopping to bask in the partial moonlight. Pitch moved faster, almost unnoticeable between transitions. He was mostly following the sound of Jack’s voice and flight, so he was surprised when it stopped suddenly.

Jack was frozen in the air, hovering with his staff clutched close to his chest. Pitch wondered what in the world would give Jack that reaction besides himself. A child in danger? Death? Another Guardian who’d figured them out? He crept up the dark side of a tree for a better view. Jack was staring out at a large lake. Clouds covered the moon, bathing them in darkness and giving Pitch a sense of safety. Jack slowly lowered himself to the ground, standing on the shore of the lake. His eyes were wide, and Pitch got a delightful sensation of his fear. He was drawn, but he stayed put so he could learn more. Jack crouched by the water and tapped it, his frost spiraling out across the water’s surface for a few feet before cracking and melting away. He drew his hand back in a fist with a pained look. Pitch could sense that he was reliving tragic thoughts. Jack leapt back a few feet into the air and gave a shout akin to a war cry as he pointed his staff at the lake. Pitch flinched back as Jack shot powerful ice magic into the depths of the lake. Deep, groaning cracks could be heard as the lake quickly froze solid, shooting out from where Jack hovered. Pitch felt fear and pain as Jack gasped and fed energy into his magic. In minutes, the sprawling lake was frozen almost completely through. Jack fell back to the shore on his knees, exhausted, and leaned back on his heels. Pitch almost went to reach out to him, curious, when the clouds cleared for a moment. Jack looked up at the moon.

“What?” He stood with his arms out like a stubborn teenager. “You know how I feel about this! It’s not childish. I’ll put it back the way it was before morning.” Jack heard no response to his statements but rather was conversing with himself- filling in the scolding he assumed the Man in the Moon would be giving him if he were talking. “How many times was my ice not solid enough…?” He clutched the staff with both hands and pressed his forehead against it with his eyes shut in painful memory. The clouds covered the sky again, and Pitch took his chance, gliding out silently from the tree line. He reached a few shadows out to Jack to alert him to his presence. Jack jumped and whipped around, staff at the ready. “What are you doing here?”

“I said I wouldn’t let you out of my sight,” Pitch reminded him. Pitch caught the slightest color in Jack’s cheeks, despite the dark, as the boy turned away from him.

“So, you heard all that, huh…?” He pulled his hoodie over his head and stuffed a hand in his pocket.

“You never change,” Pitch said with a small smile, attempting to lighten the mood. “You used to throw your temper tantrums at the sun. I’ve never seen you throw a tantrum with a lake before, though.”

“Stop that, alright? Stop acting so condescending. As if you’ve never been angry or hurt before. We all act like this sometimes,” Jack said with an upset look.

“Did I hurt your feelings?” Pitch leaned down with a grin. “Good.” His smile disappeared, and so did he. “You’re far more powerful when your ice is fueled by rage and fear. Like when you attacked the sun. Or when you thought I killed Sandman and attacked my Night Mares.” Jack ignored his manipulations this time, storming off into the forest. The ice cracked loudly behind him, and he turned back. He pulled his hood back and watched as the thick ice melted. He had cast it to melt, to return the lake to normal as promised, but watching and hearing it happen triggered something deep inside him. Memories of dying children and families, of panicked shopkeepers and screaming animals, all came rushing back to him as the ice snapped and melted. He covered his face, remembering his own death. How cold and painful everything had been. Jack felt tears sliding down his face as he dropped to his knees again.

“I could have made it… I could have stayed with my family…,” he muttered to himself. Pitch spread his arms wide behind Jack, absorbing the gentle, delicious fear rolling off the spirit.

“Oh, Jack… I think we found a fear I can properly control,” Pitch said with a dark laugh. Jack wiped his face and sprang away from Pitch, ashamed. “No, no, don’t be embarrassed. Plenty of people are afraid of water. This is much better than getting blasted across a room because you think I turned a child into a fearling,” he chuckled. “And, if I use just this fear of yours, I won’t have to look into any others.” Jack glared to the side, still fighting back painful memories.

“You mean it? You won’t go digging through my mind anymore?”

“Unless you overcome your fear of water, which I don’t see happening any time soon.” Jack nodded. “Can you swim, Jack?” Pitch asked, purely out of curiosity- at first. He glided closer, making Jack back up quickly with a nervous look.

“I don’t know. I never had to. I imagine it’s like fly-ah!” Pitch shot shadows out at Jack, flinging him back several yards into the lake.

“You want me to have fun, Jack? Let’s have some fun.” He charged after the sprite as he sank into the depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ in which Jack has developed a fear of water over his many years of existence ~


	10. Only for Tonight

**Ch. 10- Only for Tonight**

Jack couldn’t fight the initial panic, his limbs sprawling. He’d lost grip of his staff after hitting the water, and the darkness wasn’t helping. He flailed, trying to gain upward motion as he spread his hands out searching for his staff. He grabbed onto the staff and shot back out of the water, gasping and panting as he hovered above the surface. He shouted as Pitch came barreling after him, propelled by shadows. He dodged up and shot ice at the dark spirit.

“Back off!” Pitch turned and hovered over the water a couple yards away from Jack. With his baggy clothes soaked through, Jack’s lean form was more visible, and his hair clung to his head like a glowing helmet.

“Don’t you want to face your fears, Jack?” Pitch grinned, pressing his fingertips together as he glided closer. Jack aimed and took an icy shot at Pitch. Pitch phased into shadow and let it pass through him as he approached. Jack started to fly back away from the water. Pitch came after him faster, herding Jack away from the shore and over the water. The fast-beating heart of the fearful sprite encouraged him. Pitch used shadows to move the water, making it choppy beneath Jack. “Can you hear them? Young lives screaming for help between the waves?” Pitch taunted, circling Jack in shadows.

“Stop it!” Jack fired ice in all directions, trying to clear a path to shore. Pitch leeched energy away from Jack through his dripping fear, the shadows growing thicker around him. Pitch’s eyes glowed as he gained power. He disappeared into the shadows surrounding Jack and reappeared in front of him. It was the perfect time for a quip, a nail in the coffin one-liner, but Pitch was enjoying the look on Jack’s face too much to break the moment. He stared Jack down, using fear and suspense alone to make the sprite submit. Jack stared into Pitch’s glowing yellow eyes and widening, dark pupils. It was like watching a solar eclipse, like watching hope fade. Jack gripped his staff tighter in a last attempt to break free. “It’s always darkest before the light.” He clasped both hands on the staff, glowing white ice magic spreading across the wood. Pitch acted fast so Jack couldn’t finish casting. A long-fingered hand slammed into Jack’s chest and drove him down towards the lakebed, away from the surface. Jack screamed, losing some vital bits of air as the pressure crushed his ears. He grabbed at the arm holding him down, trying to locate the source, and lost hold of his staff. The dark spirit was half in shadow form, preventing Jack from pushing off and away. He lost his breath completely when they hit bottom, and he fought the urge to breathe as stars crept up. Pitch reveled in his sheer panic, watching the dying glow in those bright blue eyes.

“Accept the fear,” Pitch said, his voice just as velvety smooth underwater. Jack knew he didn’t need to breathe- he couldn’t die again the same way he had as a human- but the idea of taking a gulp of water kept him too freaked out to calm down. He scrambled against Pitch’s hold, tossing up silt from the lakebed. He couldn’t see anything. He just felt the pressure of the hand, the pressure of the water, the pressure of fear closing in on him. Finally, his body’s instincts won over and he took a deep inhale of cold, muddy water. His chest hitched, and his body trembled as it stilled. Pitch’s hold was released, and suddenly they were rocketing out of the water. Pitch placed Jack on the shore underneath a sprawling oak with large roots. “Refreshing,” he grinned, using his shadow form in pulses to dry off. Jack lay still on the ground, his skin looking even more ghostly-pale than usual. His eyes were open and gone, staring off into the distance with a deathly glaze. Pitch leaned over him and nudged him. “Frost? Guardians don’t drown,” Pitch frowned and looked away. “I won’t fall for your childish pranks.”

But Jack didn’t respond. His eyes and mouth hung open slightly, his chest unmoving. Pitch started to worry. Killing a Guardian a second time would surely be the end of him. He glided quickly back to the lake to locate Jack’s staff. It floated peacefully on the now-calm surface. Pitch retrieved it with his shadows just as the clouds were starting to clear again, and he hurried back to the cover of the oak. He placed the staff at Jack’s side. “Frost, wake up!” He demanded. He took a knee, his face torn in anger, guilt, and fear. He placed one hand over the other, one shadow and one solid, and gave Jack a heavy pump to the chest. The sprite choked back to life and rolled over, spitting and hurling water as he struggled to breathe. His hair and clothing were darkened with mud from the lakebed, and the look he gave Pitch when he could finally rise to all fours was equally dark. Pitch looked on with a twisted expression. Jack lost any angry words he had when he realized that Pitch looked scared and relieved.

“Were you…” Jack coughed and rolled to lie down, his body drained. “Were you worried?” He asked. The adrenaline was slowly dying, leaving behind a numb, tingling feeling in his limbs. Pitch wanted to deny it immediately, but instead turned away as he stood. “If you’re so worried, why did you try to drown me!” Jack shouted. Pitch rushed at him and pinned him against the tree with a hand over his mouth.

“Hush!” He said harshly, peering up at the moonlight between the oak leaves. Jack kept still. As much as he didn’t like hiding from the Man in the Moon or the other Guardians, he knew he had to in order to keep his deal with Pitch. Pitch was pressed fully against him, hiding Jack mostly in his shadows, eyes on the sky. Jack looked at his eyes again, more mesmerized than scared this time. He followed the angular features of Pitch’s face down the line of his deep-vee cloak. Pitch relaxed as clouds rolled over the sky again, and he released Jack and backed away. “This deal won’t last a week if you don’t pay more attention,” he snapped. Jack’s color had fully returned, and he had no words. He took hold of his staff and used it to help himself to his feet.

“We should get back to the house,” he said when he found the ability to speak again. “You know, if you’re done drowning me.” Pitch looked over, recognizing with the return of his quips that Jack was recovering quickly. He took the darkening of the sprite’s cheeks as a response to their scuffle in the lake.

“You’re covered in mud,” Pitch scoffed.

“That’s your fault,” Jack glared. “I’ll wash off at the house.” He started walking, too tired to fly, and Pitch used his shadows to fling Jack into the lake again, this time closer to shore. He grinned as Jack struggled in the shallow water for a moment. “Pitch! Get me out! I can’t swim!”

“Can you stand?” Pitch teased. Jack stopped and found his footing. He was standing in three feet of water.

“Shut up,” he pointed the staff at Pitch. He took the hoodie off and washed it and his hair in the shallows, careful not to wade any deeper. Pitch eyed the sprite’s form. He realized the boy had definitely aged since his human death, though it was very slow. Jack’s tendency to never stay still and always seek out fun showed in his lean, muscled chest and arms. And his entire body had a dim, white glow to it, even drained from Pitch’s fearmongering. Jack walked back up the shore, wet hoodie hanging on his staff to dry.

“Are you done?” Pitch asked.

“I don’t know, are you done tossing me in the water!” Jack snapped. Pitch grinned, about to respond when Jack started to fall over. Pitch lunged to catch him, glad Jack had passed out after he washed up.

“Only for tonight,” Pitch told the sleeping sprite as he teleported back to the house with him.


	11. Saskatoon

**Ch. 11- Saskatoon**

Jack woke late the next morning. He was back on the sheeted mattress with the old blanket, his staff leaning against the wall and his hoodie hanging from a hook on the closet. He didn’t have a headache this time. He swallowed, his throat a little sore from ingesting and vomiting dirty water. He stretched and slouched against the wall, rubbing his head.

“What was I thinking?” He muttered to himself. “I’ll never make any progress at this rate.” Jack looked around to make sure he was alone as he got up. He ran his hands over and through the hoodie, checking it was fully dry before he put it back on. Oddly enough, it didn’t smell like lake water. Jack sniffed his arms and then floated up into the air to check his pants. “Why don’t I smell gross…? I don’t remember showering…” Jack caught a familiar scent. His clothes smelled like a campfire, a comforting scent even for a frost sprite. He wandered downstairs and felt the fireplace. The embers were warm and fresh. He blushed furiously when he realized Pitch had dried out his clothes properly for him. But why, Jack wondered. Why would he care? He shook the questions away. He wouldn’t want a roommate that smelled like the bottom of a lake, so why would Pitch feel any differently? It wasn’t so much a gesture of kindness as one of mutual space-sharing. Where was Pitch, anyway?

Jack walked through the house and cracked open some of the blinds so he could see better. He caught a flicker of movement and followed it. A stray fearling darted across the den to a downstairs guest bedroom. Jack followed it inside. The room was small and dark, with every curtain and blind drawn and a few pieces of wood put up to barricade the windows. Pitch was asleep on the floor with a chair cushion as a pillow. Jack was a little surprised. He’d never seen Pitch sleeping before. Until now, he assumed he didn’t. Jack didn’t need to sleep either, usually, but he enjoyed the occasional nap in the snow or up a tree. He crept closer and crouched down, again realizing how human Pitch was aside from his color and the dormant tendrils of shadow pooled around him. Not wanting to alert the spirit by touching the shadows, Jack floated up and over Pitch curiously. He could tell Pitch was dreaming. His lips moved slightly, and his eyes darted here and there. He wondered what the Nightmare King must dream about with no golden sand to lift him from darkness. Must be a scary place in there, Jack thought. He was reassured in his mission to help Pitch, until Pitch snapped awake with an echoing “boo!” Jack shrieked and was spooked right out of the air, collapsing on Pitch. Jack wasn’t expecting Pitch to be so solid beneath him and maneuvered carefully but quickly to get off him. Pitch chuckled lightly.

“Creep,” Jack scoffed, trying to get his heartbeat to slow down.

“Who was the one watching me sleep?” Pitch said, folding into shadows and reappearing on the other side of the room, standing and adjusting his cloak. Jack stayed on the floor and hugged his knees.

“Pitch, what do you dream about?” He decided to risk it.

“None of your business,” Pitch hissed. He pooled back into shadows and slid under the closet door. Jack got up and went to the closet.

“C’mon. You know plenty about me! How am I supposed to help you if I don’t know anything about you!” Silence hung in the air. Jack knocked hard on the door. “Pitch.” Jack heard children’s laughter outside and realized it was the weekend. “Let me know when you want to get back to work,” he sighed and left. He picked up his staff and flew out the second-story window to join the fun. Pitch sent some fearlings to keep an eye on Jack for him. He tuned in to their vision every now and then, watching as Jack helped the kids with little things like crafting the perfect snowballs. Only occasionally could a child see him, and Jack would hurry to keep them quiet. “It’s our secret,” Jack would tell them.

Jack stayed with the children until sundown, when most had to start returning home. He perched on a tree outside the property to watch the sunset, and then whipped some more clouds into the air to keep the snow coming for one more day. “Today was Charlie’s ‘best day ever’,” he said to himself, quoting a young boy he’d met. “Tomorrow will be the best day ever for someone else.” He felt Pitch’s presence nearby when the sunlight disappeared. “I meant to thank you earlier,” he said without turning. Pitch wasn’t sure he was being addressed for a moment. “For drying my clothes.”

“You’re welcome,” Pitch said warily.

“You’re hard to read.” Jack stood on the branch and turned around. “One minute, you look like you want to kill me, the next, you’re acting like you care."

“I’m ready to get back to work,” Pitch said, ignoring the topic. Jack sighed.

“I was thinking about that. We need a better home base. Somewhere I’m not hogging the only bed and we’re not cowering from the Guardians.”

“It’s been long enough. I can probably return to my castle.”

“Long enough since… the battle?”

“No, no,” Pitch shook his head. “Aster was making new tunnels for faster routes around the globe next spring, and he got a little too close to one of my chambers for comfort.”

 _“You_ wrecked his tunnels,” Jack realized, hopping on the roof next to Pitch.

“Specifically, the fearlings did it for me,” Pitch grinned. “I sent them in the form of snakes to eat any eggs he had lying around, too,” he chuckled darkly. “I came to the surface to wait out his repairs, and it just happened to be Halloween. I lose track of time down there.”

“Wow, so it must have really seemed like I led the kids right to you…” Jack drew frost spirals on the roof tiles. Pitch smirked.

“Gather your notes. I’ll leave the portal open for you.” They both went inside. Pitch teleported to his underground castle, and Jack collected the notes from the den. He peered out the window to see lines of golden sand stretching out to the first children starting to fall asleep.

“Another time, Sandy.” Jack walked through the portal into Pitch’s realm. “Now what?” Pitch fashioned a dark wood table from shadows so Jack had somewhere to put the notes.

“Now, we will continue your plan. I will demonstrate my powers. I will… consider,” he said after a pause, “providing you my weaknesses, and you can try to formulate a purpose from that. When I get exhausted, I will feed. I will prepare a room for you later. To keep the Guardians off our scent, you will return to the surface periodically and interact with them, or children, or both. Our work will be secret.”

“Of course,” Jack nodded in agreement.

“I have only two rules while you stay here.” Pitch held up a thumb and a forefinger. “First, don’t try to free the fearlings behind my back. They wreak havoc when they’re not under my control, so don’t listen to them. Second, stay away from the wing marked with a K.”

“Well, now I just want to do the opposite,” Jack grinned, hopping up on top of his staff. He looked down at Pitch and playfully stuck his tongue out between his teeth. Pitch used a quick shadow to knock the staff out from under him.

“Break my rules, and the deal is off. I’ve put up more defenses since our last battle. You’ll find your powers less responsive in my realm. Don’t make me show you how much.”

“I was just kidding,” Jack brushed himself off. “So, what do you call this place? We just called it your lair,” Jack smirked, looking around the dark underground castle.

“Castle Nightfall, or just the latter,” Pitch said. “No one’s ever asked before.”

“Maybe you should throw more parties,” Jack grinned. He spun around his staff over to the table and flipped through the notebook. “Let’s pick up with fearlings, then, since I assume they all stay here when they’re not at your side.”

“Yes. We can start there.”

Jack and Pitch worked through the night. Jack filled pages with notes on the fearlings, and he was starting to discern between original fearlings and those that used to be children. He started referring to the ones that used to be children as fidgets, since they seemed to twitch and act more nervous when following Pitch’s bidding. It was mid-morning when they stopped.

“The fidgets seem more powerful than the rest of the fearlings, but only slightly,” Jack said, going through his notes. He held the book closer to himself as Pitch walked past, a little ashamed of his poor handwriting.

“The power within a child is pure and infinite,” Pitch responded, sitting in a throne-like armchair he’d conjured near the table. “When corrupted into fearlings, that energy doesn’t go away. They are stronger, but the older fearlings are more resilient and loyal.”

“At least you weren’t completely alone down here,” Jack said under his breath.

“Hm?” Pitch tilted his chin. He’d only caught the word ‘alone.’

“Nothing,” Jack shook it off and placed the notebook down. “It’s daytime up there, right?” Pitch nodded. “I should check in at a different town, make it look like I traveled through the night.”

“How about Canada?” Pitch offered him a portal.

“My French is weak, but it’s been a while,” Jack agreed. He headed for the portal and then skidded to a stop. “How will I get back?”

“I’ll have my fearlings keep an eye on you. When you want to return, find a dark place and follow them.” Two fearlings and a fidget wandered after Jack. He eyed them warily.

“They won’t hurt anyone, right?”

“I’ve only instructed them to follow you. If they stray from that, you’re free to do with them as you please.” Pitch waved a hand dismissively. Jack thought that was a little cruel, but then, he was the boogeyman.

“I’ll be back around nightfall.” Jack stopped again. “Ah, I get it,” he grinned. Pitch sent a shadow and shoved Jack and his bad jokes through the portal as the sprite laughed. The portal closed after the fearlings followed.

Pitch rose from his seat and shadow-traveled around the castle to the K-wing. Not wanting to tempt an impulsive, curious, and mischievous spirit, he decided to set precautions while Jack was spreading fun near Montreal. Jack had found their massive botanical garden and was having a blast; he easily forgot about the fearlings and tested his French with the younger kids who could see him. The waxing moon hung visibly in the daytime sky, and the Man in the Moon was pleased to see Jack after his absence. Jack often disappeared from his sight, but he always reappeared surrounded by frost and fun. Pitch’s plan successfully kept any suspicion away.

Jack spent his day hopping between gardens and public outdoor skating rinks. Some led to malls, while others were just large frozen ponds for people to enjoy in mild weather. Not everyone could see him, but most of the children could, and that was all that mattered to Jack. He taught a young boy how to skate, and he taught another how to throw a snow-curveball. He was fully reenergized after spending his time with the kids, and he was ready to return as the sun set. He stayed out a bit longer, watching couples dine at restaurants with glamorous views. He had never fully understood human love outside of familial, but he admired it greatly. It seemed like fun, having a partner to share everything with. Trickles of loneliness invaded his mood. He felt like he’d had friends in the past- long ago, somehow before his human life, but it was buried deep. He shook it off as déjà vu and decided to look for the fearlings. He noticed an untouched dessert plate and swiped it from a bistro table to bring back as a souvenir. He found the fearlings watching him from the roots of a tree, and he approached carefully.

“Can you take me back now?” He asked. They pranced in a circle and made a portal on the ground for him. Jack shrugged and jumped through with his staff tucked under his arm. He landed back where he’d left from, and the fearlings scattered with creepy giggles. “Pitch? I’m back.”

“What is that sickly sweet smell? Did you go rolling around in maple syrup?” Pitch accused as he entered the room.

“No… it’s saskatoon berry pie,” Jack grinned. “I haven’t had it in ages!”

“Interesting…” Pitch looked him over and walked past. “When you’re done, I have something to show you.”

“You don’t want any?”

“We don’t need to eat. So, I don’t,” Pitch said, glancing back.

“You can’t tell me you’ve never eaten. The humans make such good food!” Jack nearly dropped the plate with his wild arm gestures.

“I haven’t in a long time. And I don’t see the need for it.”

“I’m not moving until you try it,” Jack declared, setting it down on a cocktail table made of ice. Pitch deeply doubted the sprite’s ability to “not move,” and he frowned pointedly at the ice table.

“You are not going to start filling my castle with ice creations.”

“No changing the topic.” Jack grinned. “Eat.”

“I don’t like pie.”

“I feel like you’re just saying that.” Jack took a large bite himself, giving up.

“Find something I like and maybe I’ll eat,” Pitch negotiated. He used shadows to get rid of Jack’s pie and the ice table, teleporting them some random place on the surface.

“Hey!”

“You’re done now. Let’s go.” Jack licked his lips clean and snatched his staff.

“Grump.” Pitch let himself have a hidden smile at their antics as Jack followed. “Where are we going?” Pitch led him through the darkness.

“I made up a room for you, as promised,” he said. “I’ve never needed a guest room before. If you’re going to make ice things, keep them in here. I don’t need puddles all over my castle,” he said firmly. Jack walked in. The room was round with walls of gray stone to match the rest of the castle. There was a large four-post bed in the middle with black blankets and pillows, along with the rest of the usual furniture- a dresser, a mirror, a nightstand. It was only missing a window. “It’s not much, but I figured it’s more than-”

“Pitch, it’s perfect,” Jack said in a quiet voice. He took it all in slowly. Pitch observed the look of wonder and gratitude in Jack’s eyes. “I haven’t had a place to call home since my human family.” He put a hand on a post of the bed, smiling fondly.

“It’s not your home. It’s a guest room,” Pitch tried not make a big deal of it.

“Whatever,” Jack shrugged. “It still means a lot to me.” He looked back at Pitch. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Pitch said seriously as he turned and left. Jack grinned. He knew Pitch was kind and caring somewhere deep under all the darkness. Jack started making a few additions. He crafted an ice coat-hook stand for his hoodie and staff. He laid his hand on the blanket and cast a swirling, frosty design across it. He framed the mirror in frost spirals and then made a sparkling chandelier for the room. It glowed dimly with his magic. Pitch had lingered in the darkness of the hallway, watching with one eye. Jack’s pure happiness was infectious as he flopped back onto the bed. Pitch couldn’t help a smile as the sprite giggled quietly to himself and kicked energetically in a ball on the bed. Jack got up and shook it off, putting on a serious face to work with Pitch again.

“I knew he was good. Now I really have to figure out his purpose…” Pitch wondered if those many years alone had led to Jack’s frequent habit of talking to himself. He shifted into the shadows and went back to the main den. Jack came out a few minutes later, glowing with joy. Pitch folded his hands together cordially.

“What are we working on next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend told me that Jack is basically a Disney princess after reading this chapter...  
> Pitch: *makes a guest room* Keep your ice to yourself in here...  
> Jack: *fills it with sparkles and happy glitter decorations* A PLACE JUST FOR MEEEEEE~!  
> Pitch: .... >-> *inwardly happy but too stubborn to show it*
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and hits, I squeak a little every time I check back in and see the numbers rising! You guys are AWESOME! Expect another post within a week! I live for RnR *u*


	12. Symptoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So~ I was going to wait until Saturday to post, but I just couldn't hold back! Seeing all the hits and kudos and bookmarks really made my week, so I'm posting a day early! Thank you to all my fantastic readers! Please RnR, share, comment, or squeeeeee- whatever makes you happy!

**Ch. 12- Symptoms**

“I’ve chosen the last few. Why don’t you pick one?” Jack offered. Pitch turned to pick up a notebook, and then Jack had a sudden realization and snatched it away from him. “I’ll- I’ll list them off!”

“Something you don’t want me to see?” Pitch raised a brow.

“What! No,” Jack scoffed, freezing over the table to block the other books.

“If it’s your handwriting, I already know it’s miserable. Hand it over.” He held out his hand for the notebook. Jack pouted and gave it up. “Bad handwriting, and a doodler?” Pitch teased as he flipped through the pages. “Is this supposed to be me?” Jack puffed his cheeks and looked away, pretending he couldn’t hear Pitch as he pointed to a bold, black stick figure with swirly shadow creatures around it.

“Art… is… in the eye of the beholder?” Jack gave him a toothy smile.

“I’m starting to question if you’re capable of taking anything seriously,” Pitch said with a blasé look.

“I’m the Guardian of _Fun,”_ Jack emphasized. He went to a hover with his staff and then hung upside-down on it from his knees. “I take things seriously only when absolutely necessary. Like when someone’s trying to drown me,” he pointed out.

“We could do that again,” Pitch offered with a grin. “I have a pool.”

“How about you pick a power to go over?” Jack crossed his arms, still hanging. Pitch read over the pages- the bits he could decipher, anyway- and stopped at one.

“This is less of a power and more of an idea. I’ve not made it real yet.”

“Which one?” Jack hovered up higher to look at the notes. He swung down from the staff and fixed his hoodie.

“The dream dimension. It was a secondary phase to my plan with dream sand. It was supposed to make the dreamer truly believe they were still awake, and therefore suffer fear as in reality.”

“But you’ve done that with me. Both times, I thought the nightmare was real.”

“That’s because your fears are rational, and your imagination is vivid. Not everyone has a mind so ready to turn against them. Some people are afraid of… automatic toilets,” he threw out an example. “Those nightmares are harder to control. But in the dream dimension spell, the subject would believe they were awake no matter how wild the setting became.”

“Like Inception!” Jack snapped his fingers.

“Like incepting an idea, yes.”

“Oh, man, that movie blew my mind,” Jack said, pacing in a circle as he got distracted again.

“Movie?”

“Yeah- Inception’s a movie about dreams within dreams.” He layered his hands, trying to explain.

“Focus, Jack!” Pitch scolded.

“Sorry. So, what’s the difference between the induced nightmares and the dream dimension spell?”

“I’m not sure you would notice a difference,” Pitch said, a thoughtful hand running over his mouth and chin. “We’ll come back to that one,” he said, flipping to another page. “You wrote this down? I was rambling during a break,” he said as he skimmed through. “These aren’t powers, they’re just skills.”

“What’s the difference?” Jack shrugged. He looked over the notes. “Master swordsman is kind of like a power. I can’t wield a sword. Can you play the kazoo?” He spoke quickly and energetically.

“Why would I want to play the kazoo?”

“I’m just asking if you can. And you kind of answered my question. I think skills are like powers,” Jack said firmly.

“Playing the kazoo is not a power,” Pitch said like he was talking to a child.

“I think it is. The power to annoy adults and entertain children at the same time.” Jack conjured one quickly in ice and floated up and away from Pitch to start playing.

“Frost!” Pitch growled. “Focus! I agreed to work with you, not babysit you!” Jack ignored him and buzzed away on the kazoo.

“Have some fun once in a while!” Jack taunted, hovering upside-down mid-air as he played a few feet above Pitch. The dark spirit rarely let himself get truly angry, but Jack was pressing all the right buttons. He had a realization, though, and took a calming breath. He picked up the pencil and started a new page of notes. He wrote down the amount of time Jack was away, working with children, and took note of Jack’s high energy levels. He listed off traits like symptoms- rambling, joking, inability to focus, overuse of powers for unnecessary things. Jack stopped playing and floated closer. “What are you writing?”

“I’m cataloguing you, as well, before I lock you in a shadow cage and drop you into the deep end of the pool,” he said, irritation under his calm tone. “You’re acting more like a child because you spent the day with them, and they’ve reenergized you. When you go long spells without contact, you act more your age and reasonable.”

“This is just how I am. I have to tone it down around you, and I’m getting tired of toning it down,” Jack said defensively.

“But you said it yourself. You’re not a child, Jack, and this behavior is either a side-effect of being around children, or a desperate cry for attention from a lonely spirit. Which would you rather admit to?” Jack narrowed his eyes at Pitch. Suddenly, the kazoo was gone, and a chaise lounge made of ice appeared in the middle of the room. Jack jumped on it and laid down.

“Well, doctor, I’ve been feeling lonely ever since the Man in the Moon woke me. But I think if we really got to the heart of the problem, I’m just obsessed with helping everyone I can.” Jack looked up at the ceiling, committing to his therapy-patient act. “How does that make me feel? Well, pretty helpless, actually, since I can’t help everyone at once. I can only do it one at a time. And that’s sad. It makes me feel sad. So, maybe I resort to fun and childish ways as a distraction to my deepest, darkest pains!” He clutched his hands together at his chest. Pitch watched, unamused. Jack peeked an eye out at him to see if he was getting any reaction.

“Are you done?”

“I think so, yeah,” Jack nodded and sat up with a grin. Pitch rubbed his chin again. He conjured half-moon glasses of shadow and held a notebook up, ready to take notes.

“I don’t think you are, actually.” He sent shadows to bind Jack to the ice chaise.

“Hey!”

“You speak of things like loneliness, using fun as a distraction for pain. Bottling it up isn’t healthy,” Pitch said, playing along. “We should really tap into it, let it all out.” Pitch flipped a few pages back and muttered the dream dimension spell, testing it out on Jack. “I know you’re afraid of being alone again, Jack. Let’s explore that together,” he whispered, giving Jack a sharp-toothed grin.

“I don’t think I want to,” Jack said, tugging against the binds. Pitch snapped his fingers and everything around them disappeared. Jack fell to the floor as all light vanished. He threw his hands out instinctively. “Pitch? Pitch!” Jack held still, paralyzed by the absolute darkness. Okay, Jack thought, he’s just making me think I’m all alone. I’m not, and he’ll have to release me eventually, Jack figured.

 _“Jack!”_ Jack heard his human sister call out and had to stop himself from chasing the voice.

“You’ve pulled that trick before,” he said. “I won’t fall for it again.” A small amount of light entered the room, and Jack realized the space was now barren and gray, like a concrete warehouse floor. The silhouette of a little girl wandered out.

“Jack?” Jack froze as he laid eyes on her.

“How…” He whispered, striding closer slowly.

“Jack!” She cried out and fell over, darkness creeping over her small body.

“No!” Jack caught her as she turned into a fearling in his arms, twitching and writhing. The fearling scratched at him, marking lines across his face, and then darted off into the darkness. “No, not her… come back!” Jack sprinted after her, though he couldn’t see her anymore, and sprayed glowing ice ahead of himself to try to light the way.

Pitch played with the spell, backing in and out of Jack’s mind. He could tune in and participate or stay out and watch him sleep. Jack’s body twitched in response to his rapid movements in the dream spell, but Pitch was concerned about maintaining the reality. Jack was starting to notice his surroundings weren’t real this time. Pitch reentered the dream spell and made Jack’s staff dissolve. He realized the sprite relied on it heavily despite his power and taking it away was like taking away a child’s favorite toy. It left Jack desperate and feeling naked. Pitch tried to summon a couple fearlings into the dream successfully. He whispered instructions to them and sent them after Jack. The fearlings mimicked Pitch’s voice and the voices of people Jack had known. They picked at his memories and reminded him of times he’d felt most neglected and alone until Jack was misting close to tears. Jack covered his ears.

“It’s not real. It’s not real,” he chanted to himself. Pitch dropped him into the memory of the warren tunnel full of broken eggs. Jack looked around, reliving his guilt and fear briefly before trying to block it all out again. “Ah, this already happened!” He groaned. “It’s in the past…” Pitch decided to go for what he assumed would be Jack’s loneliest moment to memory- the day he died. The tunnel disappeared, and Jack was suddenly on the cracking ice of the stream. “No, no…” He kept very still, trying not to disturb the thin sheet. Pitch put out his hand and shattered the ice from afar, sending Jack plummeting into the water. He’d been wrong, though. After Jack’s initial panic, his mind took over the spell. He hadn’t been alone that night. The Man in the Moon had chosen him to rise as Jack Frost and granted him powers. That moment, Jack had never felt happier or more honored. The spell was starting to break. Pitch held on, summoning darkness around the corners of his mind’s eye, and he forced Jack to remember what happened shortly after gaining his powers. Jack relived flying over the forest and darting down to the village, only to be ignored and passed through like a ghost. The familiar pain bit at Jack, but again, he knew it was just memory. He took a knee and concentrated, his body glowing brighter each second. Pitch stepped out of the dream as it started to hurt his eyes, and Jack snapped awake on the melting chaise. He patted himself over quickly and grabbed his staff for security.

“Good game,” Pitch praised. “I’ll work on the spell some more later.”

“I knew it wasn’t real!” Jack said with a triumphant look as he stood.

“Clean up your mess and we’ll try something else.” Jack re-froze the lounge then made it disappear in a flurry of snow. Having burned through some of his child-fueled energy, Jack was better able to focus as he got back to work running through Pitch’s powers. Every now and then, they would stop and bicker, or Jack would try to mimic Pitch’s abilities. Something about Jack made Pitch feel strange. He simultaneously felt like he should hate the boy and work together with him. He felt a passionate urge to destroy him, darken him, perhaps even vanish him. The nightmares and spells dredged up dizzying feelings of familiarity that he couldn’t place, and it frustrated him. But then, other times, he felt the same strength of desire to be around him. Pitch realized he was starting to grow fond of the sprite’s company. His ideas and discourse were creative, and he spoke about things in a way Pitch had never considered. At one point, they ended up on a conversation of humans’ advancing technology. Jack rambled about phones and games and movies, and then had to explain some of it to Pitch since he’d been out of the loop for the past several decades.

“So, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all have multiple movies between them?” Pitch asked.

“Yeah. And so do you, actually. I never watched the series, but there are three Boogeyman movies."

“What about Sandman?”

“He’s got a few obscure ones, but I don’t think people understand him well enough to make him a loveable figure.” Jack leaned on his staff as he tried to remember.

“And, what about you?” Jack made a grumpy little face, his lips pursed.

“They made two, that I know of, with my name. One is the crappiest horror movie in history, about a snowman, and one is the crappiest comedy in history, about a snowman,” he huffed.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Pitch smirked. “Perhaps I’ll have you show me.”

“I am never, ever watching those again. I wanted to burn my eyes out the first time,” Jack exaggerated, pulling his cheeks down. “It’s insulting.” Pitch refocused them and got them back to work on his control of shadows, shifting darkness around the castle while Jack watched and took notes. After a while, he had to stop.

“Even in my own realm, I grow weary,” Pitch sighed. “It was so much better when they believed in me. I never tired.” Jack’s face fell.

“I don’t understand that, really. My power never faded with belief. I mean, they never believed in me to begin with, and my powers were just fine. But with the Guardians, if the children stop believing, they’re severely weakened. I never understood that.” Pitch gave him a genuine smile.

“It’s because you’re more powerful than them. You don’t need belief to cast magic. I don’t either, but I have limits right now. When the children believe, I don’t need to feed on fear. My power is endless. Haven’t you noticed a difference since they started believing in you?”

“Not really,” Jack shrugged. “It’s just… rewarding, to work with them and be seen.” Jack didn’t want to think about the other Guardians right now. It would plague him with self-conscious and paranoid thoughts. “You said you’re tired,” he pointed out. “What do you want me to do?” He offered awkwardly, not sure how else to say, ‘is it feeding time?’

“Let’s go to your room so I don’t have to carry you when you pass out again,” Pitch smirked. “You know I’m going after your fear of water again,” he said when they got there. Jack sat on the bed with an accepting-his-fate look on his face. “You can stop this torture whenever you want, Jack. Just admit this is who I am, that I balance the hope and light in the world, and let me go after children’s nightmares again.”

“I’m not breaking the deal,” Jack said firmly.

“I know you won’t,” Pitch replied. “You’re too stubborn.” Shadows curled up around them, and Pitch plunged into Jack’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes  
> *I was afraid of automatic toilets until the ripe old age of- well, still, actually, sometimes...  
> *reader: how does one play a kazoo made of ice? me: shhh... magic.
> 
> The next post will be on Halloween! I wrote this to line up as closely as possible with the lunar phases of 2020. Did you notice Halloween this year happens to be on a blue moon? And just like the harvest moon we had earlier, this moon has a special name too: a Frost Moon. 
> 
> Jack found Pitch on the Frost Moon of Halloween, and they struck a deal over the Day of the Dead.


	13. Ivory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Super Spoopy Skelly Halloween my wonderful readers, my dear little frostlings!  
> I have a lovely surprise for you~ Today I'll be posting not one, but TWO chapters!  
> Has Jack bitten off more than he can chew in this deal with Pitch? Will he break the only two rules Pitch has given him? Will Pitch be able to keep their deal???   
> Obnoxious hype aside, I hope you enjoy, and as always, please RnR!
> 
> Happy Halloween/Frost Moon everyone!

**Ch. 13- Ivory**

After thoroughly re-hashing Jack’s aversion to water and taunting his fear of loneliness again, Pitch let him sleep. He started to think he could get used to having one main source of fear, and he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. Instead of turning desperate children into fearlings, he could have brought them to his realm and corrupted them slowly. But, then, children didn’t actually interest him much. It was their nightmares he craved, not their company. Jack was different. The frost sprite was an entertaining, refreshing break from being alone with the voices of the fearlings, even if he occasionally edged on annoying.

He went to his own room, shifting through shadows to get there faster, and sat on the bed. Pitch had a few angles he was trying to work with Jack’s desire to help him. Corrupting the sprite was at the top of the list, but it was a slow and careful job. He would need to find a way to work them into a routine that could last weeks so he could whittle Jack down little by little. Learning the Guardians’ weaknesses was up there as well, but again, it would take time. He had time, though, Pitch thought. He had spent years collecting, experimenting with, and perfecting his corruption of dream sand. He was content doing the same to Jack Frost. The world could use a bit less cold, he considered. Then, a small voice pulled him from his thoughts. At first, he assumed Jack had the gall to bring a child to his realm, but that made no sense. It would be pushing their deal too far.

Pitch slid through darkness to follow the voice. It would go silent for minutes at a time, and then return quiet as a distant drop of water. He found himself in front of the new guest room. Pitch slid under the door and squeezed into the darkness under the bed. This time, when the voice returned, he knew for certain it was Jack’s. Pitch knew Jack couldn’t be having a golden dream, as the dream sand didn’t reach into Nightfall, but he also knew he couldn’t be having another nightmare without his direct influence. So, what kind of dream was Jack having? Pitch crept out, glaring at the nightlight glow of the chandelier Jack had made, and hid behind the dresser. He flattened into a shadow and watched, unmoving, from the wall. Jack slept awkwardly, sprawled out with limbs akimbo and his clothes jerked in different directions. It was a comical sight. Jack’s breath could be seen, quick and shallow, from the movement of his throat. A small sound escaped his parted lips, and he rolled to his side with a look of discomfort. The room, already cold, was starting to get colder. Then, Jack’s hand flattened on the bedspread as he let out what was unmistakably a sensual moan.

Pitch drew out from the wall in solid form, shocked. Yes, the deep color in his cheeks, the tensing of knuckles, the shortness of breath- Jack was having a naughty, naughty dream. Pitch covered his mouth as he threatened to betray himself with a surprised laugh. He had assumed Jack didn’t even know what sex was, given the sprite’s obsession with childish antics. But here he was, unwinding before the dark spirit, falling through some pleasurable dream. At least, it must have been pleasurable, from the visible rise in Jack’s nethers. Pitch was tempted to mess with him- touch him, wake him, bind him- but restrained himself. He wanted to see how this played out. More than that, if Jack had repressed feelings like this, who were they for-?

“-ish…” Jack muttered, interrupting Pitch’s thoughts. Jack rolled to his back, and Pitch could see an involuntary motion of the sprite’s hips. He was an ivory picture of sexual tension, his abdomen exposed and pants straining. Pitch dared to lean closer, listening carefully. Perhaps this was someone he could use against Jack in his next nightmare. Jack gave another breathy, wordless moan, but Pitch was patient. He was silent for a few moments, seeming to calm down, but then he gasped and granted the dark spirit’s wish. “Pitch!” Jack’s voice echoed softly in the cave-like room as Pitch backed away. His own face heated slightly, and his desire to wake Jack or screw with him doubled. He left quickly to manage his thoughts. He paced in his room, unsure what to do with the information. Jack was dreaming… about him. After days of nightmares, fighting, drowning… somehow, that dream had been about him. He took a deep breath and straightened himself. He need some time to dwell on options. And in that time, if Jack remembered this dream, surely he would start acting a little differently around Pitch. It could be fun to mess with him until he finally confessed, during which he could figure out an appropriate reaction or manipulation.

“Oh, Jack,” he shook his head. “I’m flattered,” he said as he took an empty notebook back to his own room.

Jack’s dream had started off innocent enough. His sleep was restless since his power returned more slowly in Pitch’s realm. In the dream, he was wandering Castle Nightfall, pondering Pitch’s purpose. He still believed the Man in the Moon had granted Pitch his powers. If that was true, then why was Pitch seemingly doomed to live alone in the darkness, feeding on fear and misery? Jack wound up in front of a large door that was more intricately decorated than the rest of the castle. At the top of the wide, arching doorframe was a cursive letter K. This was the wing Pitch had forbidden him to enter. Jack pressed on, wanting to know more about Pitch so he could help him. Besides, if he was quick, Pitch would never know.

The dream skipped as Jack walked through the large doors to the K-wing. Suddenly, he was in a dark room that smelled of metal and fire. There was a huge forge in the middle, anvils and workbenches scattered around the edges, and piles of half-made cages and tools in open chests. There were glass jars of nails, studs, and even some jewels up on shelves.

“I didn’t know you could smith,” Jack said to himself as he walked around. He hopped up on the large bellows heating the forge and jumped on it a few times, laughing. “Why would he hide this…?”

“On principal,” Pitch said, his voice loud and echoing in the space. Jack fell off the bellows and scurried to his feet. “Two rules, Jack. I gave you two rules,” he scolded. “Not to hide anything, just to see if you would break them.”

“But I-”

“But nothing, Jack,” Pitch hissed, slamming the door behind himself. “It was about trust. Nothing else. Clearly, I can’t trust you. Had you waited, I would have shown you eventually.”

“Pitch, I didn’t mean to upset you-” Jack said, his body language submissive as he walked up to the dark spirit.

“Too late.” The dream shifted again, and they were in a dungeon-like room. Jack was chained to the wall, arms above his head and ankles bound in iron mounts on the floor. “Now you can rot down here until the Guardians figure out where you are, and I’ll go back to dining on children’s nightmares.”

“Pitch, please! I didn’t break our deal, just a stupid rule!” Pitch came back, nearly nose-to-nose with Jack, his eyes glowing dangerously.

“A stupid rule? It was my trust in you, Jack. I allowed you into my castle, and you violated my trust.”

“Please don’t break the deal,” Jack said. “I- you can keep me here. Right here. That’s fine. But- but- don’t take it out on someone else! If I violated your trust, take it out on me. Don’t break our deal,” he pleaded. “I’m not even trying to escape,” he said, spreading his hands out in surrender. Pitch tilted his head.

“Then what do you think is an appropriate punishment for breaking the rules? You spend most of your days around children- what do their parents do when they’ve broken rules?”

“Well, they don’t lock them in a dungeon,” Jack frowned. “And I’m not a child, so don’t compare me to one.” Pitch took a step back and looked Jack up and down.

“You’re right. You’re not a child anymore, are you? Perhaps that means I can punish you a little… differently. Invade your trust, the way you did mine,” he grinned. His hungry look scared Jack. Pitch used his shadows to rid Jack of his hoodie, exposing the sprite’s pale chest. Jack felt vulnerable but refused to fight back. Whatever Pitch was going to do was obviously something he deserved, especially if he wanted to earn his trust back. “I sense fear,” Pitch said as he drew closer. He placed his lips on Jack’s ear. “Fear of the unknown,” he whispered. “Fear of disappointing others, letting them down.” Jack’s breath hitched as Pitch placed a hand on his bare torso, pointed nails threatening to dig in. Jack didn’t know what to expect, but the dark spirit was making him feel something besides fear, something he didn’t understand. It felt the same as when Pitch had hidden him from moonlight against the tree by the lake. Pitch withdrew and summoned shadows around Jack. Curling, half-formed tendrils snaked around Jack’s arms and chest with a pressing smoothness like fingertips. Jack struggled with the chains, getting freaked out.

“What are you doing?” He looked up at Pitch, fearful and nervous. Pitch didn’t answer. He just watched with a look of amusement and hunger as his shadows roamed Jack’s body. One curl hooked Jack’s nipple, drawing a small moan from the sprite.

“Sensitive,” Pitch grinned. He waved the shadows away, and Jack was left with a hazy, dizzy feeling in his head. Pitch placed both hands on Jack’s chest, thumbs rolling over his little pink peaks. Jack squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, trying not to make any noise. He still didn’t understand what was happening, but the unfamiliar sensations had him both scared and wanting more at the same time. Jack hissed as he felt something wet and firm on his chest. Pitch licked his chest a few times, gazing up at Jack with bright, dangerous eyes. “Everything about you is cold,” he hummed.

“I feel like I’m melting…,” Jack muttered, hanging limp in the chains. Pitch wrapped an arm around the small of Jack’s back and pressed their middles together. Jack moaned and arched into him, his hips moving on their own. “Pitch…,” he whispered. His eyes were downcast, and his face felt hot. To counteract the heat, he was unintentionally freezing everything else around him. Ice grew on the shackles and chains, and frost spiraled out along the wall behind him. Pitch placed a hand beside Jack’s head and claimed the other side of his neck in a gentle bite as his other hand wandered down. Jack felt warmth pooling in his stomach as Pitch’s hand descended and the bite on his neck turned into a bruising kiss. He panted softly and then moaned loudly as Pitch grabbed his length and squeezed gently. Ice burst from his hands, snowing down gently on both of them. Pitch chuckled lightly and then reached up and grabbed Jack’s hands with his free one.

“Do you regret breaking the rules yet?” Pitch murmured in his ear. Jack shivered in pleasure, his hips jerking to meet Pitch’s rhythmic strokes.

“No,” he said with half a smile quirking the corner of his mouth. Pitch’s breath fogged in the space between them, and he brought the shadows back. They curled suddenly around Jack’s thighs, upper arms, navel, and shaft, squeezing and pulsing. “Pitch!” Jack cried out, arching off the wall. “I- it- ah…” He stammered.

“I’ll keep you down here as long as it takes for you to think about what you did,” Pitch said, teasing the head with his thumb. Jack whimpered underneath him, his eyes begging for release. “Say you’re sorry,” Pitch ordered.

“I’m sorry!” Jack said quickly, groaning as the shadows massaged him all over.

“For what?” Pitch squeezed him but didn’t move his hand. Jack tried to move his hips again, and Pitch pressed him forcefully into the wall with his other hand to keep him still. Jack whined again with a desperate look.

“For invading your space,” Jack said slowly.

“Are you going to do it again?” Pitch asked, starting to stroke him again in languid motions.

“N-… nn… maybe,” Jack smirked, chest heaving with effort.

“Naughty boy,” Pitch said as he moved his hand faster to bring Jack to climax. Jack bit his lip hard and locked his moans in his throat. The wall behind him was nearly covered in ice. Pitch stopped for a moment, forcing Jack’s pants down to his ankles. The sprite whined in neglect, and then gasped again as Pitch grabbed both their lengths together. Jack looked down, shocked and horribly turned on. Within a few strokes, Jack was over the edge with a silent cry, writhing in his bindings. Pitch kept going until he followed, but the dream was already shifting. Jack lay in bed amidst velvet-soft blankets, an arm draped over his side and a warm body pressed against his back. “Don’t make me punish you again,” Pitch whispered against his neck, the words raising hairs. Pitch bit the back of his neck and Jack snapped awake. He promptly fell out of bed, scrambling around and looking for Pitch. He could still feel the teeth in his skin. He looked down to see a large wet spot in his pants.

“Ahh…,” Jack looked around the room, scanning for Pitch. “What the… what was that?” His face was bright red as he went to the dresser, grateful to see it already had clothes stocked. He changed, nervous with the lingering sensation of shadows on his skin. Everything in him tingled and shook lightly, and he sat down on the floor, trying to process what he had dreamed. “Pitch,” he growled in accusation, and he went to find the dark spirit.


	14. Passing Time

**Ch. 14- Passing Time**

“Pitch!” Jack called out. It had already been some time since Pitch had caught him dreaming, long enough for Pitch to be engaged in notetaking in his bedroom. Jack saw a fearling and froze its feet to the ground. “Go find your master for me,” he demanded and then released it. The fearling hissed at him and ran off, telling the others about the sprite who dared to command them. The fearlings already had an alpha, and they weren’t keen on another trying to lead them. Instead of retrieving Pitch and informing him, they started to swarm after Jack. He didn’t notice at first, until he saw them crawling over the walls like enormous ants. Jack gasped and floated off the ground. “Oh, no…”

Pitch noticed as some of the fearlings in the room with him left quickly. Usually, that meant an intruder. He closed his book and rose from his chair to follow them. Jack shot ice at the fearlings that encircled him, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed him easily. He crashed to the ground, almost completely hidden under the writhing mass of whispering shadows. They told him cruel things like how weak he was, how the other Guardians didn’t need him, how the children didn’t need him, how many people hated the cold. Usually he wouldn’t let those things bother him, but hearing them all at once chanted over and over like a curse had him feeling sick and heavy. And then, they were gone.

“What did you do to my fearlings?” Pitch asked, standing over him as they spread out reluctantly. Before Jack could answer, one climbed up Pitch’s cloak and snitched in his ear. “You attacked them?”

“I did not! I- I asked one to go find you for me. I might have frozen its feet first.”

“That’s a little rash, even for you,” Pitch said, sending them away. He was feeling a little playful and held out the fearling Jack had frozen. “Say you’re sorry.” Jack’s face erupted in blush as he vividly remember Pitch saying that in the dream. He stood up and backed away.

“S-sorry…,” he stammered. Pitch smirked and sent the last fearling away.

“Now, what was so urgent you had to tick off the fearlings?”

“You!” Jack remembered and pointed his staff. Pitch put his hands up casually.

“Me.”

“What the heck was with that nightmare!” Jack demanded. Pitch realized Jack thought he had concocted the sexual dream along with his other nightmares. He fought off a smile and kept his face blank.

“The one where I locked you in a glass box and filled it with water or the one where I locked you in a glass box and left you alone?” He listed off the nightmares he’d created.

“No, the one after that! With the-” Jack stopped. “Wait, so-” He muttered things under his breath that Pitch couldn’t make out. “If that wasn’t you, then…”

“What’s bothering you, Jack?” Pitch strode closer, hands behind his back.

“Ah- stay! Stay over- over there!” Jack pointed the staff defensively again. Pitch smirked and held still. He waited and then decided to give Jack an out.

“If you’re having your own additional nightmares, that’s not my fault,” he shrugged. Jack chewed his lip, his face still a slight shade of pink.

“Right… no, I’m- you’re probably right.” Pitch noticed Jack had changed his pants but decided not to mention it.

“You look tired, Jack.” Pitch drew out saying his name, trying to figure out what would push his buttons the most. “You should go back to sleep if you’re not fully rested.” He noticed every time he made a move to come closer, Jack backed away or walked a different direction.

“I’m fine. Why don’t we go over some of your theoretical stuff, start small?” Jack went to the table and opened a notebook, looking for theories and spells.

“Actually, I was thinking we could start listing weaknesses. I can trust you with that, can’t I?” Pitch leaned over his shoulder, and he wasn’t sure what exactly made Jack shiver, but it was delicious to watch. Jack peeled away from him, frost appearing on the floor with his every step. Pitch thought his reactions were adorable and wondered just how innocent the sprite was. Had that been his first sex dream ever? He was even more flattered at the idea of being a first for Jack.

“Yeah!” Jack said, obviously nervous. “Of course, you can- you can trust me,” he said quickly. “I want to help.”

“I still want to know some of yours in return, though,” Pitch negotiated. He moved his armchair closer with shadows and took a seat. Jack made a stool out of ice and sat at the table, ready to take notes. “What do you think I’m weak to?” He asked. Jack was going to say light first, but between the dream and his interactions with the fearlings, he thought of something else.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a weakness, but I think disloyalty bothers you. A lot.” Jack had a thoughtful look. “You make a point of not lying, and you spoke of the fearlings’ loyalty a lot when we were going over your powers with them. Same for your shadow creatures.”

“Wouldn’t it bother anyone?” Pitch tossed back. Jack paused.

“Maybe it’s not about disloyalty so much, then, as it is about forgiveness. I screwed up a lot right before I was made a Guardian. I chased you around, let you destroy Easter,” Jack said with heavy emotions in his eyes. He brightened again quickly. “But when I came back to help later, I was met with forgiveness. I mean, Bunny still wanted to kill me, but we worked things out,” he remembered fondly.

“Disloyalty and forgiveness…” Pitch considered. “We’ll have to come back to abstract ideas later. Let me think on it a bit.” He so rarely was matched in conversation that it was nice to have a kindred, intelligent mind with which to share discussions.

“Then something simpler. Are you weak to light, or do you just not like it?”

“A little bit of both.” Pitch explained, “if I am in direct sunlight or moonlight for too long, it affects my powers. In that way, I am weakened by it. However, I only avoid it out of preference. It’s not like with vampires where they turn to ash with the slightest touch.”

“Wait, vampires are real?”

“They were, for a time. With a fatal weakness like sunlight, the breed was never meant to last. I once commanded an army of them. They were very tribal.” Jack liked when he got Pitch to speak about the past. He knew a very different side of history, and Jack absorbed every detail like a sponge. He went back to the notes and jotted down bullet points about light. He tapped his lip with the pencil. Pitch followed the oral fixation to Jack’s thin lips. He felt his own stirrings when he remembered the noises that came from that mouth only hours before. Pitch had taken his own notes on Jack, recording the time of the dream and Jack’s level of exertion beforehand. He zoned out, wondering about the last time he’d ever felt even the slightest attraction to someone. Humans didn’t often pique his interest, though one vampire in particular had gotten him to dance all night at a ball once.

“Pitch?” Jack pulled him from his thoughts.

“Sorry?”

“What about different levels of light? Like mirror reflections?” Pitch continued to explore his limits and explain his powers to Jack, demonstrating certain ideas here and there. Somehow, they got back on the topic of sword fighting, and Jack convinced Pitch to start teaching him forms. Pitch realized that training their powers together would be a good way to get into a rhythm and let time slip by. The less Jack paid attention to the length of time they were together, the easier it would be for Pitch to corrupt him, and the more he could learn about Jack’s own powers and weaknesses. The day passed without so much as an argument between them, and Jack was already losing track of time.

“Fire,” Pitch said. “Same question you asked me earlier about light. Is fire a weakness for you?”

“No,” Jack shrugged. “Unless you know a sprite who conjures fire like I conjure ice. I actually really like campfires. I like the way they smell, and I like watching the embers.” Jack gasped and jumped up suddenly. “Have you ever had a s’more?”

“No, but I’d heard of them at some of the campsites I haunted a while back. Telling ghost stories is a common pastime at children’s camps, so it made for easy prey.”

“Don’t change the subject. I can’t believe you’ve never had a s’more. Pitch, it will change your life!”

“I doubt that,” Pitch said, raising a brow.

“We- I have to- I have to get the stuff to make some!”

“Right now?”

“Yes!” Jack said like the fate of the world depended on it. “You said you’d eat if I found something you liked.”

“I said I might,” Pitch corrected. “I feel like we’re getting off-topic.”

“It’s been long enough. We can take a break,” Jack said. “Give me a portal. I’ll be in and out,” Jack said.

“You’re free to leave whenever. I’m not keeping you imprisoned here,” Pitch chuckled. “When you get back, I’ll teach you the portals spell.” He noticed Jack got a little nervous when he said ‘imprisoned,’ but he assumed it had to do with how he’d trapped Tooth’s MiniFairies during their last battle. Pitch cast a portal to a busy city. “Why don’t you take this one so you two can make amends?” He said, summoning the fearling Jack had frozen earlier. Jack held out his staff in a friendly gesture for the fearling. The small creature hissed and then climbed on reluctantly.

“Hang on,” Jack told him as he flew through the portal. Pitch peered through another portal to check the clock in his room.

“At this rate, I can keep him going for weeks without noticing.” The fearlings crowded Pitch’s feet, whispering dark ideas and temptations with eerie voices like static on the wind. “Yes, yes. With Frost out of the way- no, better, with him working with us, the Guardians won’t stand a chance. I can tolerate a few sweet snacks and jokes for that endgame.” Pitch looked fondly on his fearling army and summoned a book to read while he waited for Jack to return.


	15. Plenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm actually posting three chapters all together~ Happy Halloween, and hope you enjoy!

**Ch. 15- Plenty**

Jack was careful with the fearling, letting it stay perched up on his staff as he walked through the streets of New York City. “Not exactly where I thought I would find ingredients, but I can make it work.” He pulled his hood up and put his hand in his pocket as he walked around, not wanting to attract attention this time. Jack found a grocery store away from the cramped bars and scaffolding of the inner city. He asked the fearling politely for help this time and was pleasantly surprised when it agreed. As Jack found his ingredients around the store, the fearling would make a small portal back to the main area Pitch and he’d been working in. Jack dropped the items in and walked out of the store innocently. “That was way too easy with you, Trouble,” he said to the fearling. It hopped down, seeming to lose interest in Jack, and wandered off. “Um, okay.” Jack shrugged and decided to spend a little more time in town. Halloween had been fully swept away with Christmas like Thanksgiving wasn’t even on the calendar. Shops were decorating and starting their gift sales. Jack wanted to focus on the positive, on the present, but his mind kept returning to his dream. It plagued him like a sickness. It had all day long. He would stare at Pitch too long or pay too much attention to his voice and the way he said things. The clouds grew darker and thicker overhead.

Jack walked straight on until he ended up at a pier, staring out at the vast harbor. He swallowed back his fear of the water and stayed in the center of the pier, a good distance away from the edges. He watched a couple walk by holding hands and admiring the lights of the city. He tapped his staff against his leg, frustrated and confused. He’d never imagined anything like that about anyone before. And then to wake up and learn Pitch had nothing to do with it?

“Was it really my own dream…?” He asked himself. Jack wondered if he had anyone he could talk to about it, someone relatable to confide in. North? Too old and jolly. And probably way too busy this time of year. Sandy? Probably the best one, but he could never understand his sand expressions, so it would be a one-sided conversation. Bunny? No. Not in a kajillion-billion years would he ever admit to Bunny that he had feelings for anyone, let alone the Boogeyman. Jack’s eyes widened with realization. “No,” he said as he looked around in shock. “No, I don’t. I don’t have- that’s impossible. I’ve only been working with him for a few days, right?” He paced in semi-circles as he fully conversed with himself. “And before that, all he’s ever done is tried to hurt me or the Guardians or the kids… well, the last battle he ignored me at first. That was painful,” he said to the staff. Jack shook his head. “He didn’t just _try_ to drown me the other night, he actually did! But, he did revive me, too…” Jack started biting one of his knuckles. He didn’t notice as the flurry picked up into full snowfall. “And he’s actually been working on the deal with me, opening up more… he wouldn’t let me sleep on the floor. He gave me my own room,” he muttered under his breath. “No one since my human family has ever done that for me before- not North, not Tooth.”

Jack sat down on a bench with a heavy sigh, but his legs bounced restlessly. He twirled his staff in the air as he tried to understand his own emotions. “He seems to be changing… he seems to want to change. I don’t think it’s a trick,” he told himself. “Why else would I start feeling something besides fear?” He grabbed his staff. “I can’t just go back and tell him, though. I don’t know how any of this works. I need more time… if we keep working, if I keep him distracted, maybe he’ll lose track of time. I’ll be able to figure out what I’m feeling, and,” he stood with a small smile, “I’ll get through to him about using his powers for good.” Jack still wasn’t sure what his dream about Pitch really meant, but it didn’t scare him as much as it had this morning. Part of him wanted to do more research on dreams and physical intimacy so he understood it better. “I wonder if Pitch has a library,” he thought aloud. “Hey, Trouble! Let’s head back!” He called out to the fearling. It came scurrying out from a bush near a family with a crying baby. “Did you do that?” Jack asked, giving Trouble a stern look. The fearling just snickered and made a portal for them both. Jack jumped through. Once the portal closed, Jack gathered the scattered boxes of ingredients and set them out on a new table of ice. “Oh! I forgot a lighter!” He smacked himself in the forehead.

“I have a fireplace,” Pitch offered, suddenly behind him. Jack flinched and grabbed his staff tightly, shooting tiny snowflakes out of both ends of the stick. Pitch stifled a laugh.

“That works,” Jack said, his voice a little shaky. He used the ice from the table to craft a handbasket instead and carried the ingredients on one arm. He found the silence a little awkward as Pitch led him away to find the fireplace. “So… Christmas is already in full swing up there on the surface.”

“The season comes earlier every year in the wealthy countries,” Pitch commented blankly. He opened the door for Jack.

“Well, that answers that question,” Jack said as he walked in and looked around in wonder.

“What question?”

“I was wondering earlier if you had a library.”

“You’re welcome anywhere in the castle except the wing I mentioned,” Pitch reminded him.

“I- I know,” Jack stammered, thinking about the dream again. “I understand.” Pitch lit the fire and stoked the fireplace as Jack opened boxes. He was distracted from his task, though. He loved how playful and bright fire could be; watching the warm light dance over Pitch and his calm façade was a unique sight. Pitch wondered why Jack had fallen silent and looked over to catch him staring. Jack blushed and stabbed some marshmallows. He brought two skewers over. “Do you want me to make it, or do you want me to show you how?”

“You make it.” Pitch found another plush armchair and took a seat a bit further back from the fire. Jack had a pleasant smile as he worked, his eyes following the fire whenever he was close. The light reflecting off his brilliant hair brought a curious question to the dark spirit. “Jack.”

“Hm?” Jack looked over as he roasted marshmallows carefully above the flames.

“Is your hair frozen in ice, or is it naturally white?” Jack opened his mouth to answer but didn’t actually have one.

“I never thought about it before. I think it’s just white,” he shrugged. He used his powers to float over the ingredients he needed, and he pressed together two perfect s’more sandwiches. “Here we are. The perfect combination of summer, fun, and staying up late all in one little snack.” Pitch took the melting treat. Jack sat on the floor in front of the fire and started noshing away at his own. Pitch took a bite, catching crumbs, and shook his head. This one peaceful moment was theirs alone, and to each spirit in the room, it was the moment they needed to convince the other to come to their side. Pitch felt like he was earning Jack’s trust while Jack thought he was finally getting Pitch to show a lighter side of himself. “What do you think?” Jack asked after a moment.

“I think it’s terribly messy and should only be eaten outdoors,” he answered as he finished his s’more. Jack rolled his eyes.

“Just admit you liked it!”

“You have a little…” Pitch couldn’t hide his smile any longer with the mess of chocolate and marshmallow on Jack’s face. Jack wiped his face with his sleeve. “You’re disgusting,” he said with a teasing smile.

“And you’re not denying that you liked it,” Jack said in a singsong as he got up to make more.

“One was plenty,” Pitch said firmly. “After this, we should get back to work.”

“Aye-aye,” Jack saluted with another skewer of marshmallows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S'more to come in a week- thanks for reading, and please RnR/Kudos if you liked!


	16. Ice Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a day early, because we have a lot of ground to cover before Christmas!

**Ch. 16- Ice Queen**

Deep in underground tunnels, soft but heavy footprints could be heard pounding through packed earth. Bunnymund popped up out of the ground, satisfied with his newest burrow. As he walked around an open field, taking a break from work, he felt like something was missing. Even here in the farmlands of California, he thought, it would usually be colder by now. He knew the humans were doing awful things to the environment that were shifting global weather patterns, but that normally had no effect on a particular winter-loving sprite. Bunnymund had no way of contacting Jack directly, and he didn’t necessarily want to attract the mischievous boy when Easter was now less than six months away, but he felt a strange twitch of concern. Or maybe it was his nose. At their last annual meeting, Jack had told them all he would watch over North America and Greenland more closely this year after a long hiatus bouncing between South America and Africa. That was a lot of ground to cover, but Bunny couldn’t shake his paranoia. He thumped a heavy foot and summoned a tunnel near Tooth’s castle, Punjam Hy Loo. He walked in, greeted by some of the MiniFairies that were resting. Others buzzed around frantically to collect teeth from around the world.

“Hey, Tooth!” Bunny called up once he was in the main room. “You ‘round?” He didn’t hear a response, so he threw a boomerang out in a wide circle to try to draw attention. The MiniFairies dodged it, giving him angry little buzzing noises, and Toothiana popped out of a chamber near the west wing. Bunnymund caught his boomerang.

“Bunny!” She smiled and flew down to greet him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were building new tunnels.”

“I took a break,” he shrugged.

“Must be nice to have that option,” Tooth said, buzzing around him in a circle. She rattled off directions to a few more fairies as she felt a molar alert in Barcelona. “Just visiting, or is there something else? I can’t really host right now. Hockey season is in full swing in Canada,” she rambled, “and wrestling is starting up soon, too.”

“I wanted to know if you’d seen Frost recently. It’s warm for this time of year, and I couldn’t tell if it was humans and their machines or Jack not making his usual rounds,” he mentioned.

“Yes, actually, I saw him last week. North summoned Jack when one of my fairies ran into him and set the alarm with a sighting of Pitch nearby.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me!” Bunny gasped. Tooth backed away.

“Don’t shout. Jack confirmed it was a false alarm. It was Halloween, after all, and my girls can get spooked easily. He said he would keep an eye on the area and report back if he found anything. I assumed no news was good news.”

“That’s oddly mature of him,” Bunny chuckled.

“I’m sure he’s fine. If you want to find him, maybe check in cold places. One of my fairies saw him in Montreal the other day.” Tooth suddenly lit up, distracted. “Ooh! First season game already started, I gotta go!” Tooth darted off to her globe to check for fresh teeth. Bunny made a grossed-out noise and went back to his tunnel. He was glad to hear Jack was doing well and shook off any concerns. With him as a Guardian, children’s belief had never been stronger.

Back at Castle Nightfall, Jack and Pitch were about to engage in a strange game of chess, Pitch’s idea. He had crafted all his pieces as life-size, shadowy nightmare animals- rats for pawns, wolves for bishops, a swarm of bats each for the knights, man-of-war jellies for rooks, a nightmare thrasher as his queen, and himself as the king. Jack’s side of the chess board looked like actual pieces, each about four to six feet tall, but unlike Pitch, he stood in place of the queen.

“You’re in charge of your pieces. You should be playing the king,” Pitch protested.

“The king is lame and can’t move anywhere. I’d rather be the queen and hop all over the board.”

“Yes, but while the goal of the game is to fell the king, the queen is the most targeted piece.”

“Bring it on,” Jack smirked. Each of his icy chess pieces was topped with a unique snowflake, with the king wearing a crown of them. He perched up on his staff to get a better view. Pitch had lain shadow tiles on the floor to turn the entire room into the chessboard.

“White moves first,” Pitch ceded with a cordial look. Jack sacrificed a few pawns to start. He wanted to gauge Pitch’s strategy while also pretending to be a beginner chess-player. Pitch had wanted to go for a more defensive strategy, figuring Jack as an offensive, impulsive player, but he couldn’t help the easy pickings of Jack’s pawns. His nightmare rats ate the pawns like shaved ice.

“Brutal,” Jack laughed. He wondered if Pitch was going to act on his earlier statement of going after the queen or if he was bluffing, so he let himself move out to where he was slightly exposed. Pitch saw Jack dangling himself as bait and kept his focus on the king, shifting pieces into a sharp formation. Jack didn’t like the look of the man-of-war rook staring him down a column and wasted a move and a bishop getting out of its way.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Pitch taunted from behind his defenses. His queen nightmare thrasher was near his side as a fail-safe, but he was confident he knew every angle Jack could attack from. “Ice Queen,” he added with a grin. Jack was fully distracted from his strategy and charged into Pitch’s defenses, losing a knight that he’d left unguarded. Taking the offensive, he wiped out two pawns with his staff, shifting back and forth across the board. Pitch kept his focus on the far side of the board, letting Jack take his irritation out on the pawns as he barricaded the ice king with his rooks.

“Ha ha!” Jack laughed as he took out a nightmare wolf.

“Check,” Pitch said with a triumphant smile. Jack looked back to see his army in shambles. He’d let Pitch distract him for too long. His best move now was to sacrifice himself for the king and let another piece cross the board while Pitch recovered. Jack perched up on his staff to check the board. “Tick-tock,” Pitch said with a fake yawn.

“It’s not a timed game. Give me a minute.” Jack noticed he had a single pawn left, three spaces from the end. He accepted his fate quickly, lining up moves in his head that would keep Pitch’s attention away from the pawn. Jack took out a man-of-war to save the king, leaving himself open to the swarm of bats that flew over his pawn to attack him. Jack swatted them away as he ran off the board. “Okay, okay! I’m dead!” Pitch grinned, even as Jack maneuvered the king to eliminate the bats. There were very few pieces left on the board, the most powerful being Pitch’s thrasher queen. Jack used his remaining rook to pull the queen away from Pitch, calculating the moves it would take for Pitch to take the rook and for himself to advance the pawn. Pitch didn’t realize why Jack was moving the pawn until after his queen took the rook. Jack advanced the pawn to Pitch’s end of the board and kicked it out of the way, changing it to a queen. He stared down the row at Pitch. “Check.” Pitch looked around the board. His own remaining pawns blocked him in, and he had no shot to remove Jack from the board again.

“Mate,” he realized. “You managed to trap me with my queen still on the board. Bravo.” He clapped politely. Jack scanned the room as well, just as surprised that he’d put Pitch in checkmate. He threw his arms up.

“Hey! I told you I knew how to play!”

“Rematch?” Pitch asked. “If you’re done hustling me.”

“Definitely.” Jack raced back to his side of the board and cast new ice pieces. Pitch, while thoroughly entertained by their game, was also keeping a keen eye on the clock. Time was flying by, so even if he lost the chess game, he figured he was winning the long game. “Ready!” Jack said, back in the queen’s position.

“I won’t take it so easy on you this time,” Pitch grinned. “Make your move.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is where I just start to scratch the tip of the iceberg as far as pre-movie canon. I fell in love with these characters the more research I did into their actual backstories outside of the movie.  
> Here, we saw Toothiana's castle referred to by its original name (background on Tooth Fairy here: (https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/Toothiana), and we saw creatures pulled from the videogame. That's right, Rise of the Guardians had a videogame following the movie! It has terrible reviews and graphics, but I just adore the thought that went into Pitch Black's nightmare creatures. I only used a few for the chess game, but you can see his whole army of videogame minions here: (https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/Pitch%27s_Minions). You've gotta do some Googling to get pictures of all of them.
> 
> This is a relatively short chapter, but don't worry- I'll have 17 up soon, too. Thank you so much for the hits, the Kudos, and especially the comments! I am so grateful for readers like you!


	17. Poker Face

**Ch. 17- Poker Face**

Two weeks went by. Jack spent more and more time in Nightfall with fewer trips to the surface. Though the season didn’t rely on his intervention, it was warmer than predicted in most places he had frequented in the past. The New England summer was clinging on, and most public ice rinks had to delay opening. Thanksgiving was in less than a week, and Jack was none the wiser. He trained endlessly with Pitch. Now, it didn’t matter whose powers and weaknesses they focused on. Jack picked up swordsmanship like riding a bicycle, like he’d had the knowledge buried deep within him. He still couldn’t beat Pitch in a swordfight, but he had come close a few times. Jack had named several more of the fearlings, and some even started to follow him around and obey him. Pitch wasn’t worried about their loyalty in the least. He assumed the fearlings’ interest in Jack reflected his own.

Pitch was more concerned about the frequency of Jack’s loud dreams almost every time he was exerted from a nightmare feeding. Though the feedings were more spaced out with Pitch’s power more concentrated in his own realm, most were followed by Jack unconscious in a moaning, writhing mess in his own room. It almost irritated Pitch that Jack hadn’t realized his host was very aware of these dreams. He was also sure that Jack was nearly out of clean clothes. Furthermore, he could tell what books Jack was reading in the library- they either had been dusted, moved, or replaced in the wrong location. Two were downright pornographic in nature, and one was about the concept of love. If Jack didn’t come clean after the next feeding, Pitch had decided he would break his silence. Today, he had doubled his efforts to get Jack to open up about it.

“Think you’re up for another round?” He asked, plucking Jack’s handmade ice sword from the wall.

“Yeah!” Jack said enthusiastically. “I’ll get you to submit soon. I think I’ve got the footwork down.” Pitch suddenly appeared behind Jack. He swept the sword around Jack and pressed the boy’s back into his own chest, locking him in place.

“I think I like it better when I make you submit.” Jack cast an explosive aura of flurried snow and snatched his sword as he pulled away from Pitch.

“Oh yeah?” Pitch had teased at Jack’s desires all week long, to the point where the color rising in his cheeks had become familiar. Jack dropped into starting stance and cast a new shield of ice. He also cast shin armor and a chest plate to protect himself. “Don’t hold back this time,” he said, pointing the sword with an accusing look.

“As you wish,” Pitch grinned. He summoned his longsword but nothing else. He swiped it up, handle to his chin with the blade up, and then down and out in salute. “Whenever you’re ready.” Jack frequently started the duel with an overhead charge, and this time was no different. Pitch was ready, falling into their practiced dance as he blocked the blow with a two-handed grip. Jack pranced around Pitch, taking quick, short swipes. Jack’s advantage was his speed, but Pitch had experience and technique. He blocked Jack’s attempts with simple strokes of the hilt to tilt his large blade back and forth. He didn’t need to move until Jack came at him with a shield bash and swiped at Pitch’s feet. The dark spirit sprang to action and took the offensive, coming at Jack with long, powerful, sweeping blows. He knocked Jack’s shield away within the first minutes of the fight. As per rules they had given themselves, Jack wasn’t allowed to cast a new shield. He would have to retrieve it if he wanted it back. With his other hand free, though, Jack switched forms and held his sword with both hands. His strikes became more accurate with more strength behind them. Pitch only narrowly dodged Jack’s flurry of a counterattack.

“Tired, old man?” Jack taunted as they clashed swords and drew close. Pitch shoved Jack off and came at him with an overhead strike, followed by Jack rolling to the side and jumping back to his feet.

“I can go for hours, boy,” Pitch hissed back. Jack and Pitch worked around the room, thick ice meeting solidified shadow in matched skill. Pitch was enjoying the company of an equal more and more, and his vision of making Jack his dark prince grew clearer each day. Jack was finally starting to tire on their third lap around the room. Pitch withdrew his attacks and stuck to defending, letting Jack exert himself with the advantage. Then, Pitch swiped out faster than he should have been able to with such a heavy sword and knocked Jack over with the force of their clash. He leapt onto the sprite, following him to the ground, and placed his blade heavily across Jack’s neck to pin him down. “One, zero,” he stated the score, panting lightly.

“Actually,” Jack breathed just as hard, “it’s a tie.” He tilted his sword up underneath Pitch, the point right under his heart. Pitch glanced down to see Jack had managed to position the defense before he made the pin. He gave a hearty laugh and stood, and then he offered a hand to help Jack to his feet.

“Good. That’s the closest you’ve come to beating me,” Pitch praised, and Jack beamed in response. He made his sword disappear as Jack hung his back on the wall.

“I need something lighter.”

“You’ve already shrunk your sword once. Any smaller and it would be a dagger.”

“A dagger! That’s what I need!”

“Against a longsword?” Pitch emphasized. “I’d disarm you in the first strike.” Jack defended the technique by explaining how he could use his shield, and Pitch started to walk the castle with him as they discussed fighting strategies. Pitch felt a strange familiarity when Jack spoke about wanting a dagger. He couldn’t quite pin it- like a memory long forgotten. It gave him a sickly feeling in his chest, so he shifted the conversation. “What have you been researching in the library? I notice you’ve been spending more time there.” Jack stammered for a moment.

“Humans,” he said bluntly.

“Don’t be vague,” Pitch said with a click of his tongue.

“Uh, human… emotions. I thought if I read up on the things that seem to motivate people, I could find your motivation,” he said slowly. His words were slow, like he was reading off a script.

“Perhaps we should play poker instead of chess,” Pitch seemed to say randomly.

“Why?”

“Because you’ve not gotten any better at lying.” Pitch then pinned Jack to the nearest wall with his shadows. “I don’t have a rule against lying, but it does irk me that you do it so frequently and easily. How would you feel if I started lying to you? Would you be able to trust me?” Jack struggled with the shadows. Pitch watched the light pink color fill his face, and he wondered how many of Jack’s dreams, if any, had included physical restraint.

“Where is this coming from all of a sudden? Why do you care what I’m reading about?”

“I care about your impulsive lying. It’s immature, certainly not a Guardian quality, and it’s disappointing.”

“It’s not impulsive, I just… I…” Jack couldn’t look Pitch in the eyes. “There are certain things I don’t want to share yet.”

“And you have every right to feel that way. So don’t lie about it. You can refuse to answer. There are many options. Just don’t lie to me anymore. How many times have you asked me a question I didn’t want to answer?”

“Uh, is there a number higher than infinity?” Jack smirked. Pitch released him and folded his hands behind his back.

“Exactly. Now look me in the eye and tell me you won’t lie to me. Else, how will we trust each other?” Jack swallowed and looked up at Pitch. His first thought was how his dreams couldn’t capture Pitch’s eyes accurately at all. They were hypnotizing in real life, like watching hope and death battling it out in the sky.

“I won’t lie to you. I’m sorry,” Jack said. Pitch gave him a content smile.

“Good.” He led them back to the den. “Then, what have you been researching?” He asked again.

“Whatever I want,” Jack smirked. Pitch chuckled softly.

“Fair enough. Now, why don’t we get that poker game together?”

“I don’t know how to play. And isn’t it for more than two people?”

“Some of the fearlings know how to play. They can join us. And I’ll teach you.” Pitch fashioned a proper table, chips, cards, and chairs from his shadows.

“Okay,” Jack nodded excitedly. He wasn’t the least bit suspicious about Pitch’s growing interest in games and other activities. He still wasn’t aware that the holidays were right around the corner, and he wasn’t aware that his time in Nightfall was starting to affect his heart. They played for hours until Jack won three games in a row. Jack didn’t feel the passage of time, and, surprisingly, neither did Pitch. He was continually and pleasantly surprised how nice it felt to share his time and mind with another. Jack’s dark brow hiding behind a hand of cards gave him a warm feeling, again, like a memory buried deep inside. It felt right, having him around and teaching him everything from battle strategies to bar games. After poker, they transitioned to a well-rehearsed drill running through their more physical powers. Pitch easily kept Jack busy, and he almost regretted when he started to feel dangerously hungry again.

“Jack.” From just a couple weeks together, Jack recognized the specific tone Pitch had in saying his name. He was politely – reluctantly? Jack wondered – requesting energy.

“We can stop,” Jack said, clearing away the snow he’d made. He obediently kept up his end of the deal. He had never asked for a delay, had never asked to postpone a fear feeding, and he often asked how Pitch was feeling to gauge if he needed to feed but wasn’t asking. Pitch knew with how deep Jack’s fears ran that the emotional strain must be torturous. But the boy awoke energized and glowing each time, and he willingly submitted to keep his end of the deal. And admittedly, Pitch thought, Jack’s fears were becoming far more fulfilling than the simple and abstract fears of a child.

This time, Pitch examined Jack’s fear of being ignored. It so easily trickled into hatred and depression, seasoning his nightmare like an exotic dish. If it weren’t so satisfying, Pitch would almost feel bad for constantly dragging Jack to the worst parts of his mind. Pitch stayed in the room this time, patiently waiting to see if once again, Jack would succumb to a physically relieving dream. And this time, he planned to tune in.

“I wouldn’t be prying if you had just talked to me, Jack,” he said to the sleeping sprite. “I want to know what you think about me. I’ve waited long enough.” A small whine escaped from Jack, and Pitch delved into the dream to find out his fantasies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and check back in next week for a nice THICK chapter 18!
> 
> If you need something to hold you over until then, check out this awesome crack video about the ship:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugv5GhEn4BY
> 
> Or, some awesome Black Ice music videos by this cool Youtuber:  
> https://www.youtube.com/user/bitterwinterspell


	18. Better than the Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's already tomorrow in China so.... POSTING.

**Ch. 18- Better than the Dreams**

Pitch wound up in the wintry, forested landscape of Jack’s dream. The sky was dark with clouds, but the white groundcover magically glowed with the light of a full moon. The sprite was jumping from tree to tree, knocking snow off the needles and laughing. Pitch followed at a stealthy distance. Something seemed to catch Jack’s attention, and he chased after it, followed closely by his dream invader. An unseen projectile knocked Jack from the trees. He caught himself in a hover just before he hit the ground.

“Doesn’t count!” He called back at someone Pitch couldn’t see. Jack flew back up to the trees just as a familiar shadow grabbed him by the ankle and yanked him down. Jack had a wide grin as he swept ice magic back, trying to get the shadow to let go of him. “No fair!” He laughed. Pitch watched himself materialize before Jack, holding the floating spirit comically like a balloon at the ankle. Jack’s dream version of Pitch summoned more shadows to pull him to the ground and anchor him in place.

“No flying,” dream Pitch said with a finger-wag.

“That wasn’t in the rules before,” Jack said.

“Either way, I’ve caught you. One, zero,” dream Pitch stated the score. Pitch climbed up the nearest tree for a better look at the scene. He wasn’t surprised Jack dreamt of playing games.

“Alright, fine. Now it’s my turn. Let me go.” Jack tugged at the writhing shadows that held his wrists and ankles fast.

“No, I don’t think I will. I think you want to play a different game.” Dream Pitch used the shadows to force Jack to the ground on his back, arms over his head. Jack spread his fingers and cast small snowballs at him, deflected easily by waving arms of shadow.

“We just started this one,” Jack said, his voice wavering. Pitch leaned on a tree branch with his elbow, head propped up on a hand. His own shadows curled behind him as he watched with intrigue. He watched his dream-self circle Jack and then cast a blindfold of shadow over his eyes. Dream Pitch snapped his fingers and Jack’s hoodie disappeared in shadows, leaving his top half bare against the snow. Pitch admired the view from the tree. Jack glowed, just as smooth and pale and iridescent as the ice he controlled. Again, the dark spirit felt conflicted. He wanted to snuff that light just as much as he wanted to stoke it.

Pitch slid down from the tree and walked just enough to be out of earshot. He needed his own thoughts, uninterrupted. Jack clearly had developed feelings for him, though he couldn’t be sure if they were purely carnal due to the boy’s slow aging process, or if these dreams were accompanied by more than raw desire. Could it possibly be this easy to corrupt and control Jack Frost? Could he confront Jack about these dreams, forge a relationship of trust and physical intimacy, to reach his ultimate goal? Or would Jack be scared away? He peered back into the small clearing where Jack was still being teased by his dream doppelganger. This was a risk, Pitch realized. But it could be well worth it. Besides, it had been a very long time since he allowed himself the pleasures of flesh. The desire didn’t arise often, and watching Jack unfold under his own shadows was definitely making things arise. Pitch decided to end his voyeurism. He stepped out into the clearing and took over the dream, replacing the version of himself Jack had dreamt up.

“Stop messing around,” Jack moaned, his back arching slightly. Pitch’s eyes glinted with hunger at the sight, but he managed to control himself. He cleared the shadows all away and released Jack.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Jack sat up slowly, red from his ears and cheeks all the way down his chest. Pitch saw fear, anxiety, and excitement all rolled into one. Jack stared into Pitch’s eyes, coming to a slow realization. “I’ve known about these dreams of yours since they started. I think it’s time you tell me about them in your waking life.”

“I’m… still dreaming…?” Jack backed away and stood up.

“Come to me when you wake,” Pitch said, carefully backing out of the dream so Jack wouldn’t startle.

“Wait! Are you real this time?” Jack asked, chasing after him. Pitch retreated from the dream and hid under Jack’s bed. He waited for a while to make sure Jack was still asleep before he teleported back to his own room. He couldn’t rid the image of helpless Jack writhing under his shadows, distressed, half-nude, wanting… Pitch went to fill in his notes again, recording everything he could remember.

Jack woke a bit later, hard as a rock and frustrated. He knew Pitch wouldn’t lie to him, so he knew he hadn’t been creating the dreams after his feeding nightmares. But this time, Pitch had seemed so real. Jack had never been able to properly see Pitch’s eyes in the dream world, but they’d been perfect this time. He was angered that Pitch would know and not say anything, confused about if Pitch had really been in the dream this time, and more than anything, he wanted to be touched. He tried to fix himself so he was presentable, adjusting his pants and smoothing things down, but it only made the sensation stronger. He lay back in bed, palming himself cautiously over his pants. He eyed the door before he slipped deeper under the blankets and pulled himself out. His hand shook and hovered over his own length, but he was too scared and embarrassed to do anything. Jack leapt out of bed and fixed himself, grumbling frustrated grunts. He cast a heavy snow cloud over himself and let the chill relax his body. Now he had to decide, should he listen to his dream and confront Pitch? He went to the mirror.

“Am I really… falling… for Pitch Black?” Jack frowned at his reflection and turned to pace his room. He cast swirls on the floor and walls as he thought. “What if he ridicules me? What if he’s offended, and ends the deal? What if he reveals me to the others, and I have no one after this?” He circled back to the mirror, his forehead heavy with worry lines under his messy bangs. “And what if I never tell him… and he already knows… and he’s hurt because I’ve been lying again? I promised I wouldn’t lie anymore. Hiding this… feels like lying. And if it feels wrong, it is wrong,” he advised his reflection. He grabbed his staff on his way out of the room.

Pitch heard a light knock on his bedroom door.

“Come in.” Jack opened the door slowly. Pitch’s room was large and grand compared to the rest of the castle, with ornate furniture and decorations. He had a desk in the far corner where he was currently working under an oil lamp. He had a large bed with deep purple bedding and thick, red curtains to match a plush red and gold rug filling most of the room, and he had golden-framed paintings on the wall of people Jack didn’t recognize. “Did you want to get back to work?” Pitch feigned ignorance.

“I wanted to talk, actually,” Jack said quietly. He looked around and noticed an armchair near a fireplace like in the library.

“About what?” Pitch stood and walked over, leaving a polite distance between them. He was curious to see how Jack would start this conversation.

“I’ve been having dreams. Ones like I’ve never… I don’t know.” Jack turned away, unable to look at Pitch. “I never really had dreams before, I just rested when I felt like it. They’re not nightmares, but I know they’re not dream sand dreams either.” Pitch waited patiently, letting him work through it. “And, and- you’re in them,” he stammered. He walked tight circles, staring at his feet and illustrating his words with his hands.

“What kinds of dreams, Jack?” Pitch asked carefully. Jack stopped in place, biting his index knuckle, tapping his staff on his leg. Pitch suddenly drew up close to him, staring him down. Jack looked up, and the fear and lust in his eyes were replaced with anger.

“First, I need to know, have you been in any of my dreams? Not the nightmares, and not me just imagining you’re there, have you actually been inside my dreams?” Jack knew from the look in Pitch’s eyes before he answered.

“Only this last one,” he admitted with a nod. “You were in the woods. We were playing a game. Your dream version of me restrained you in shadow. I came into the dream and suggested you tell me when you awoke,” he explained.

“You invaded my dream.”

“You said my name aloud in your sleep the first time this happened,” Pitch said, his tall presence and spread of shadows backing Jack into the wall. “I’ve known, but I didn’t want to pry.” Jack went fully red, looking like he’d been out in his own blizzard for too long.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew the first time!” Jack tore away and started pacing the room.

“You would have been embarrassed and upset. I didn’t tell you because you deserved time and privacy.” He kept his face blank as he watched Jack slow to a stop. “How do you feel about it?”

“How do I- …? I don’t know!” Pitch glided up to him again, invading as much space as he could, and leaned down.

“Yes, you do. You just don’t want to say it. You have feelings for me, and I’m flattered. I might even say, I reciprocate, just as cautiously as you do.” He worded things carefully and allowed a few shadows to brush at Jack’s legs.

“Reciprocate…?” Jack looked confused. Pitch looped a few fingers under his chin and forced Jack to look at him.

“Tell me how you feel.”

“I- I- … I really like… being around you. Being close to you…,” Jack admitted.

“I’ve enjoyed your company as well,” Pitch said. “Beyond that, I have also started to feel something else for you, something I haven’t allowed myself to feel in a very long time.” Pitch could tell Jack was looking between his eyes and his lips, but he wouldn’t cave to the sprite’s desires just yet. He hinted at the motion of a kiss, teasing, then quickly released Jack and turned away. “But we need to figure out what to do about this, don’t we?” Jack looked longingly at him, but he shook it off.

“Pitch, I have to know. Do you actually want to keep this up? Do you want to find a different purpose besides draining kids’ dreams?”

“Yes,” Pitch said with a solemn look. “You think I enjoy craving their fear, emptying their hope? It’s a curse, not a desire.” Pitch shook his head. He needed to refocus the conversation and seduce, not negotiate. This could be the perfect way to ensure Jack was on his side. “I want to keep it up because you’ve grown on me, Jack. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?” Jack went even redder, his face showing his immediate denial.

“What? I’m- that’s just weird, I’m not-” Pitch suddenly crowded him against the wall again.

“You have eyes of bright, pale hope. You have the most imaginative mind I’ve ever shared discourse with, and you’ve grown into quite a handsome lad,” Pitch said, laying it on thick. “You can be loud, childish, but that makes you who you are. You bring fun everywhere in the most creative ways. You almost destroyed one of my nightmares with it,” he chuckled. Jack gripped the staff close to his chest like a shield, but he seemed to be listening and responding to his words. Pitch took a deep, thoughtful breath and gave Jack some space. “I believe,” Pitch said, pacing a circle then coming closer again, “there’s a way I can absorb your never-ending energy without devouring your fear. But there’s only one way to find out.” The dark spirit had a mischievous look in his wide, dilated eyes as he approached Jack. “And, I think you’ll like it.” Jack blushed again, and for a brief moment he wondered if he was still dreaming. He recognized that hungry look, but he knew he was awake because it was a thousand times more intense than in any of his dreams.

“No! No, no, no,” Jack said, crossing the room to get away from him. Pitch was a little surprised. “Those were dreams, they weren’t- they weren’t real. I can’t even imagine doing those kinds of things in real life.” Pitch had to swallow down some irritation.

“Is it because you’ve never done them before?” He folded his hands together.

“It’s not just that! Don’t these things take time? Trust, building a relationship?” Jack threw his arms out in his usual large speaking gestures. Pitch didn’t let the fact slip that Jack just admitted to being a virgin, nor did his own heated reaction go unrecognized.

“I fully disagree that physical intimacy requires a previous bond. It requires only the consent and pleasure of both parties. However,” Pitch said quickly before Jack could interject, “you and I already have time and trust between us. You’ve been here for a short while now, trying to help me, and without trust, the work we’ve done so far would not have happened. If those are your requirements, then they’ve been met.” Jack gripped his staff tightly, his face twisted in thought.

“You really think if we-” Jack couldn’t bring himself to say it, “- that it would refill your energy?” Pitch sat on the arm of the armchair, shadows curling out from where his feet should have been.

“Yes, but I refuse to take your body if that’s the only reason you’re willing to give it.”

“It feels weird, hiding all this from the other Guardians…” Pitch didn’t like that Jack was bringing them up.

“Jack,” he said sternly, “don’t worry about them or what they will think. It’s your life. You believe you’re doing the right thing. That’s all that matters. I truly believe you’re doing the right thing, and I wouldn’t have said that the night we made the deal,” he admitted. “You’ve grown on me.”

“I have?” Jack peered out from the hoodie he’d pulled over his head.

“Yes.” Pitch walked over to his bed. “Now, why don’t you come here and tell me what your dreams were about,” he said as he sat down. Jack felt a quick thrumming in his chest as he walked over.

“It’s hard to talk about.”

“Why?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Jack whispered.

“It’s only natural. You’re not the first to have these kinds of dreams, and you won’t be the last. Tell me, so I can help you work through it.” Jack went over the first dream, clinging to and fidgeting with his staff. Pitch was patient at first, but he could see Jack’s desire rising as he relived the fantasy, and it heated his own desires as well. Pitch stood and carefully took the staff from Jack, leaning it against the wall. Jack stammered and stopped talking. “Keep going,” Pitch said in a murmur. He leaned down, backing Jack up until his legs were against the bed.

“You- uh- you were on my neck, and the shadows were all over the place.” Jack’s breath hitched as Pitch ran his nose along Jack’s neck.

“And the shadows, did you like how they felt?” Jack felt Pitch’s closeness like a heavy weight on his chest, and it scared him. Questions and doubts whirred through his mind. Pitch could sense how he was feeling and backed down, taking a step away. Jack drew in a breath like he’d been holding it.

“I don’t know. I think so. It was kind of overwhelming.”

“Jack, I’ll show you, there’s nothing about this to be afraid of.”

“Not sure I believe that coming from you,” Jack joked lightly, his eyes still nervous.

“One way to find out,” Pitch replied. Jack felt like he couldn’t breathe properly as his thoughts ran faster. Pitch was too close. The bed was right behind him. His pants felt tight. Was this really happening? Or was he going to wake up at the end of it? What if he was still dreaming? Pitch’s eyes were never that bright in a dream. Pitch hooked Jack’s hoodie string on a finger and pulled it lightly. “Take this off.” Jack was reluctant and slow, but he pulled the hoodie up and over his head. Normally, he’d have no problem being topless, but this was a different feeling entirely. His eyes widened in a stare as Pitch rolled his shoulders back to take off his cloak. It faded into shadow, leaving him in black slacks. Jack always assumed Pitch was lean and lanky, but under his cloak he had the body of a savage warrior, from firm muscle definition to a few scars. Jack couldn’t help but reach up to touch a star-shaped scar over Pitch’s heart.

“What happened here?” He asked, running his fingers over it. Pitch didn’t look- he was too busy feeling out Jack’s emotions. His fear was waning, a good sign.

“Battle souvenirs,” Pitch said casually. “Don’t be concerned.” Then, after taking one more long look at Jack, he lifted the sprite with his shadows and chased him onto the bed. He climbed over Jack on all fours, his hands beside Jack’s head. “Tell me how you feel,” he repeated in a whisper. Jack’s breathing was shallow, and his face was colored with various shades of pink and red.

“Like I… want… you. I want to be touched. And held,” he admitted slowly. Centuries of loneliness made every touch, every thought of being touched, that much more intense for Jack. Pitch briefly thought the sprite’s pleading eyes under his bangs looked like deep pools of water lightly obscured by a gentle, snowy breeze.

“Very well.” Pitch leaned down and kissed at Jack’s chest, sucking and biting gently at each sensitive spot. His shadows writhed, squeezed, and pressed, teasing around where Jack most wanted to be touched. As Jack lost control of his voice, Pitch felt his body becoming pliant beneath his own. He phased one arm into shadow, looped it under Jack’s back, and made it solid again. He held Jack tightly and forced him to arch up against himself then moved up to his neck again, nuzzling and nipping. Jack made involuntary, cute little noises as Pitch learned his weak spots. There was a nice ripple effect and moan if he stroked Jack’s ribs just right, and there was a deep groan if he pressed into his hip bone firmly. He felt Jack’s paranoia and fear melting away under the heavy heat of lust. “What did I do to you in those dreams, Jack?” Pitch whispered in his ear. Jack relaxed more as Pitch’s velvet-smooth voice filled his being.

“You touched me… down there,” Jack whined. “Sometimes both of us together.”

“Is that all?” Pitch released Jack slowly and sat up on his knees. “There’s so much more than that,” he grinned.

“There’s… more?” Jack panted, trying and failing to keep his eyes higher than Pitch’s bare waist.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. At first,” he smirked. “I’m hungry. I might not be able to hold back.” Jack gasped as Pitch sent a shadow to bind his wrists above his head.

“Well I- I made a deal. Not to refuse your hunger,” Jack said, some of his playful confidence returning.

“True.” Pitch ran his nails down Jack’s chest firmly, catching a nipple as he tainted the skin with pink lines. Jack hissed and flinched away from the touch but didn’t protest it. Pitch waved his hand to clear the rest of their clothes and eyed Jack’s naked body. He moved his shadows around until they ensnared the sprite’s hard length and twisted around it mercilessly, drawing a long, loud moan from Jack. Pitch had them get right to work, stroking and pumping at Jack. He was quickly reduced to a whimpering mess, squirming in the hold of the shadows. “Were your dreams like this?” Pitch asked as he dove back down for Jack’s exposed neck. Sharp, gray teeth met pale, flawless skin in a harsh bite. Jack groaned and turned away, giving Pitch more access to his throat.

“Y-ye- kind of…,” he stuttered. “It feels… better,” Jack admitted, “for real.”

“Good.” Pitch let the shadows do the work while he left progressively darker marks down Jack’s neck and shoulder. “Your cold skin is delicious,” he murmured. Jack was dizzy and dazed from overstimulation, completely obedient underneath Pitch. He spread his legs without really realizing it as Pitch shifted to kneel between them. The shadows waned and spread to other parts of Jack’s body, squeezing his arms and rubbing his chest. Pitch placed himself on top of Jack and ground them together roughly, pressing Jack into the mattress. Jack cried out with pleasure and realization, hardly aware that he rolled his hips in response. Pitch’s mouth hung open slightly with hunger and fascination. He ground against Jack a few more times, letting his eyes close to intensify the sensation. Pitch gathered what little control he had left and sat up on his knees again, watching Jack buck and whine with neglect.

“Pitch…,” he muttered.

“I’m here,” he said in a velvety, reassuring tone. “Roll over. Hands and knees.”

“What, why?”

“Do it,” Pitch said a little firmly as he pulled the shadows back. Jack found the ability to control his limbs again and did as he was told. He found the position a little embarrassing, especially when Pitch pressed his length against the tight cleft of his ass. Jack flinched.

“What-”

“Sh-sh.” Pitch placed a calming hand on the small of his back. Jack shuddered heavily in response, and Pitch realized it must be a particularly sensitive spot for him. He made note as he rubbed a little harder. “Hush. I don’t think your dreams showed you how this really works, so I’m going to. Trust in me.” Jack clutched the bedspread in tight fists but held still. Pitch reached underneath him and gripped Jack’s shaft from the base, holding him tightly. Jack groaned and tilted into his touch. His hips and back suddenly threatened to give out, and he had to tense up to stay upright. Pitch pressed himself against Jack’s backside and ground into him firmly as he stroked the sprite slowly. He leaned down and ran his nose up the ridges of Jack’s spine, enjoying the full-body shiver he elicited from Jack. Pitch let two curling shadows circle Jack’s ass, massaging and spreading and pressing together as he ground against his cold-skinned partner. For the heat he was producing himself, Pitch found it refreshing and thrilling. Jack didn’t understand what he was feeling, just that it felt mind-blowingly good and he never wanted it to stop. He didn’t have much of a chance for a warning when he came, his whole body tightening up and his hips jerking. Pitch was a little surprised, but stroked him gently through it, placing kisses on his back. Pitch had the shadows catch his mess. One curl of shadow, a little more solid than the others, collected Jack’s seed and spread it over his hole. Jack flinched.

“What’s that?”

“Calm down. It’s going to seem strange, but if you trust me, I’ll make it feel good. It’s alright, Jack. Relax.” He pressed Jack’s back to get him to drop his shoulders to the bed. The sprite made a beautiful picture, arched on Pitch’s bed with his thin shoulders down and his pert ass in the air. He licked and sucked his thumb to wet it generously before pressing through the shadow and spreading Jack’s hole with the moisture. Jack whined in discomfort, gripping the bedspread again. Pitch felt a tinge of fear, but it only encouraged him. He had his shadows double in their efforts to massage and relax Jack; they spread over his calves, thighs, navel, and chest, pressing every sensitive spot that made him vocal. Pitch was further encouraged by the sweet, broken sound of Jack’s voice in his ears. He pressed his thumb all the way in and let it sit, allowing Jack to get used to it. His own length pulsed with need as he felt Jack’s hole twitching around his digit. He pressed his thumb in and out slowly, taking his time. He licked two more fingers and replaced his thumb with his opposite fore and middle finger, this time carefully stretching Jack as he curled them. Pitch watched Jack closely as he pressed his fingers all the way in and hooked them, careful of his nails, looking for-

“Ah!” Jack nearly thrust out of his grip, his cry echoing in the large room.

“Mm, I found it,” Pitch hummed.

“What is- what did you find…?”

“This.” Pitch rubbed over Jack’s spot again, more directly and firmly this time. Jack tilted back into Pitch, moaning like his life depended on it. “Feel good yet?”

“Yes! I- it… ah…” Jack whimpered.

“Just a bit longer, then we can both feel good.” Pitch leaned over him and kissed at his spine as he stretched him faster now. Jack was confused how something so strange could feel so good, but he didn’t care anymore. He wanted it to never end, but then it did. Pitch pulled his fingers away and massaged Jack’s ass with strong hands. He licked his palm and wet his length a few times, wanting to make sure he hurt Jack as little as possible- this time. “Now, relax and breathe out,” Pitch said, leaning over Jack. Jack wasn’t really sure what to expect, but the hot pressure on his hole was something new entirely. He gripped the blankets so tightly his knuckles went white, and he was holding his breath with his eyes squeezed shut. “Relax,” Pitch said sternly. He pressed in as slowly as he could manage, groaning in his throat as the head popped in. He made very shallow thrusts, teasing the head in to get Jack to loosen up. He wanted to slam in all at once and drive Jack into his bed until the sprite’s mind was gone, but he had some self-control left. “Talk to me, Jack.”

“It hurts,” Jack whined. “It-it burns…” His breathing was strained, and his face was twisted in pain. Pitch held still and stroked him gently, waiting for him to adjust. He was surprised by how cold Jack felt all over. He knew it had been a long time since he had taken a lover, but he also knew by this point skin should be damp and hot to the touch. The dry cold was comforting, if a little unnerving, and he couldn’t wait to sink in and hold Jack close to his body. His shadows continued their gentle assault, looping around Jack’s neck and rubbing behind his ears, anything to distract and relax him. When Pitch felt a little give, he pushed in more. Jack whimpered and bit down on his knuckle, tears springing to his eyes.

“Almost,” Pitch whispered. He groaned in relief as he felt Jack’s cool skin against his pelvis. Jack flinched and mumbled as Pitch twitched and throbbed inside him. Pitch knew Jack wasn’t in too much pain from how hard and heavy his length was in his hand. He rolled a thumb over the tip firmly and Jack keened into it, tightening down on Pitch. “I can’t hold back any longer,” he gave a quick warning before pulling halfway out and thrusting back in, both hands on Jack’s hips. Jack cried out as a hot, electric sensation jolted through his body. Pitch started moving with slow, shallow thrusts, pleased when Jack leaned back to meet him. He closed his eyes and thrusted his full length in and out of the sprite’s narrow channel, enjoying the cool feeling of his tightness sucking him in. When he opened his eyes again, it was snowing on his bed. He slowed down. “Jack. What did I say about ice in my castle?” He asked in a scolding tone with a playful smile. Jack hadn’t noticed either. He went up on his elbows and looked over his shoulder, making a perfect picture for Pitch. His hair was messy, stringing down over dark, lustful, dizzy eyes and rosy cheeks.

“Ice?” He saw the snow. “I didn’t notice- I’m sorry-”

“Shh,” Pitch ran a hand down his back. “I’m teasing. It’s beautiful, Jack.” Jack settled back down, relaxing again.

“Pitch…”

“How do you feel?”

“Y-you were right,” he mumbled. “It feels good…”

“Good.” Pitch picked up the pace suddenly, grabbing Jack’s hips again with bruising force. Jack couldn’t control his voice as Pitch plunged in and out, the sounds echoing around the room. The impact of skin to skin only turned Pitch on more, making his already considerable length swell inside Jack. “Oh, I wanted this to last longer,” Pitch groaned as he felt his climax building.

“Don’t stop!” Jack cried out. Pitch’s eyes glowed with lust as he obeyed his partner. He leaned down, chest against Jack’s back, and placed his large hand over Jack’s chest to hold him in place as he moved. He barely felt the effort needed to jerk his hips back and forth. Jack was gone, mentally, floating somewhere between the harsh noises their bodies made and the cloud he created that was dusting them with gentle flakes. His entire body buzzed with pleasure like he’d never felt before. His fingertips were numb, and each limb felt disconnected and tingly. All he could think about was the feeling of being pressed between Pitch and the soft blankets. He felt a strange belonging and submitted to the idea of being stuck forever in this moment. His own voice seemed foreign as it poured out of his throat with each movement Pitch made.

“Come with me,” Pitch said as he grabbed onto Jack’s length again. Jack’s breath hitched and he rolled his hips into the strokes. “I’m close.” In his dazed state, Jack didn’t really know what he was close to, but it sounded good. He whined with need as he felt Pitch swelling and throbbing inside him. Pitch could tell Jack was close, too, with how much he was leaking. A pool of shadow beneath them kept the mess off the blankets. Pitch gave a few more long, rough thrusts before he came deep inside Jack, his legs and hips shaking with release. Jack followed behind quickly, nearly collapsing onto the bed with the force of his second orgasm. Pitch let them float in the moment as his shadows cleared the bed and released Jack. He pulled out slowly, burning his memory with the naughty image of Jack’s hole leaking with his seed. He used another shadow to wipe Jack and himself clean, and then he took Jack to his side on the bed. Jack was limp and obedient as Pitch pulled him against his chest. He ran his lips up the back of Jack’s neck and gave a soft bite, just like Jack had dreamed.

“No… so much better than the dreams,” he corrected his own thoughts. Pitch grinned.

“How do you feel?” Pitch asked. He felt triumphant and sated, like his dark plans were happening faster than he’d ever hoped. And he felt an odd sense of security holding Jack against his body. They fit together nicely, the sprite’s lean, athletic form tucked along Pitch’s taller, thicker body.

“Like…” Jack couldn’t really word how he was feeling. His worries had melted away, if only temporarily, and he felt like he was where he was supposed to be. “Uh…” He loved how warm Pitch felt wrapped around him, even before Pitch’s shadows pulled the blanket over them both. “Can we do it again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone- OVER 700 HITS??? I'm screaming! (Sometimes literally, sometimes internally.) I have a schedule set for the next twenty (that's right, TWENTY) chapters, but it's set to a goal of either a day or a certain number of hits, so whichever happens first determines when I post!   
> RnR, thanks for reading!


	19. Hawthorne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have another long chapter for you all! ***Fluff Warning*** Enjoy!
> 
> Thus far, I've been using plotline and characters that are easy to follow if you've only seen the movie, with slight hints about book-based backstory. This chapter, you might start to see more things that pull from the Guardians of Childhood book series, and I add my own elements of backstory (like how Jack spent a long time in England during his first century with powers).
> 
> As the story progresses, please feel free to comment questions! I have not read the book series yet, but I've done a lot of research on it and I can't wait to read them over the holidays! If you're antsy and want to get a head start on learning some backstory (be careful of spoilers), I would suggest Wotso Videos on Youtube- he does thorough summaries and reviews of most Disney and some Dreamworks movies.

**Ch. 19- Hawthorne**

Dangling dangerously over the foot of the bed, Jack slowly woke to distant music. He wiped drool from his face lazily and curled away from the edge to stay in bed. He mumbled and then tried to stretch, crying out when his entire lower half reminded him of the prior night’s events. The throbbing pain reignited his arousal slightly as he very vividly remembered the rhythmic movements which caused it. He rubbed his face and then his chest as it itched, and he saw the pink lines that remained from the sharp nails that had claimed his skin. Jack heard the music again, very faintly, and the sound of running water. He sat up carefully and found the bed empty. His eyes were wide.

“I slept with the boogeyman,” he whispered to himself. “I slept… with Pitch Black…” His cheeks went flush, and he heard the music pick up. Curious enough to overcome his dull pains, Jack got out of bed and half-limped towards the music. He didn’t recognize the opera playing, but it was Italian and sounded like a romance. Jack found the bathroom and cracked the door open. Pitch was singing along with a record playing in the changing room. Jack picked up the album- Tosca, Act III- and listened from the door. He had no idea Pitch had music or was into music… or could sing… and so beautifully! His deep, velvet voice lent perfectly to the arching vocals of the aria. The grandiose marble bathroom with tall, vaulted ceilings to match the rest of the castle played harmonious echoes. Jack realized the door had been blocking a lot of sound with how loud the music and singing were. He slipped inside the first room as the song ended and went to an instrumental soundtrack for the musical. Jack wanted Pitch to keep singing, but he had no idea what was playing. More a fan of movies than old plays and operas, Jack decided to commandeer the music. He slowly quieted the music by covering the gramophone and lifting the needle, and then he started singing himself.

“Father once spoke of an angel,” he started off very softly. “I used to dream he’d appear.” He could feel the shift of tension in the air as Pitch realized he wasn’t alone, but he didn’t dare turn the corner into the next section of the bathroom. Water ran on a still body. “Now as I sing, I can sense him, and I know he’s here. Here in this room, he calls me softly, somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow, I know he’s always with me, he the unseen genius.” Pitch was, for a brief moment, annoyed by the intrusion, but the feeling was gone just as quickly as it came. His little sprite was awake and trying to join him in body and in spirit. He recognized the popular opera and decided to play along.

“Jackie, you must have been dreaming. Stories like this can’t come true,” he responded. Jack bit his lip and smiled brightly. “Jackie, you’re talking in riddles and it’s not like you.”

“Angel of music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory. Angel of music, hide no longer, secret and strange angel.” Jack went quiet after that line. He couldn’t remember the rest of the words and fell to an awkward silence. After a few long seconds, Pitch asked,

“Are you going to stand there naked letting my record slip, or are you going to join me?” Jack turned the corner into an open shower room with multiple rain-style faucets where Pitch stood in the center, fabulously nude and wet. Jack was taken aback by his figure again, as last night he’d only seen bits of his body in the dark. Pitch seemed to eye him just as curiously. “Did I wake you?” Jack was frozen to the spot, but his body moved on its own towards Pitch and the warm, steaming water. None of this seemed real. He kept expecting to wake up.

“Nah. Almost fell off the bed, though. So, uh, how many times did we- um-”

“Are we including the times you passed out on me, or only the ones you were awake for?” Pitch gave him a devilish grin.

“Never mind,” Jack blushed harder. Pitch and Jack unknowingly shared a thought, that the other looked quite attractive with wet, straight hair. Pitch wrapped an arm around Jack and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head.

“I hope this doesn’t change too much between us.”

“Course not,” Jack muttered as Pitch released him. “Still training. Still trying to find a good use for fear powers.”

“Good.” Pitch offered him soaps and cloths from cut-out shelves set in a wall further from the water. “Phantom of the Opera, hm?”

“I don’t know a lot of operas. Just the ones that were made into modern movies. Er, just the one, really.”

“Phantom’s a classic.” Jack moved slowly with Pitch watching him hungrily. “Confession, I prefer the darker songs to the popular ones.”

“I don’t remember the words all too well,” he admitted.

“Then I’ll try a different one.” Pitch took the cloth and swept around, pressing his chest to Jack’s back as he started to wash the other. “Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation… darkness wakes and stirs imagination.” He sang quietly into Jack’s ear, and with a grin he noticed the reaction he was already getting. “Silently, the senses abandon their defenses, helpless to resist the notes I write… For I compose the music of the night.” Jack shivered as Pitch washed sensitive or sore areas, rubbing and massaging out knots as he kept singing. “… Softly, deftly, music shall caress you. Hear it, feel it secretly possess you. Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you know you cannot fight. The darkness of the music of the night…” Jack hummed along. Despite being a state of deep relaxation in Pitch’s arms, he was becoming more awake and invigorated, his energy returning. His reminders of their lovemaking the night before started to heal faster. “… You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night,” Pitch finished and nipped at Jack’s neck.

“I never knew you could sing,” Jack said, looking up at him by tilting his head back.

“You never asked.”

“I didn’t even know you liked music.”

“Then, how about today, we research? I’d like to hear what you’re interested in, what new kinds of music the humans have made, and I’m more than happy to share my superior collection of music if it is the refuse I’m expecting.” He released Jack.

“Refuse? Modern music isn’t trash!”

“Well, it isn’t opera and long-practiced skills,” Pitch smirked.

“And how do you know?”

“I hear it pumping like vile audio pollution out of passing cars and brightly-colored stores. I’ve had a few years on the surface now, I just don’t make myself known.”

“Okay. Well, you show me your ‘superior’ music,” he finger-quoted, “and I’ll prove modern music isn’t trash. The stuff I like is… eclectic, I think I would call it.”

“Dry off then and let’s get started. Today will be a research day.” He turned off the water and then towel-snapped Jack’s rear.

“Oi!”

“Oi? You pick that up from me?” Pitch smirked.

“Spend long enough with you, I might get my accent back,” Jack blushed.

“Mm, but your accent was cockney. Like chimney sweeps and paper boys.”

“You got a problem with that, posh?”

“You get scrappy with me and we might have to fight before we start our research,” Pitch grinned as he cast himself a new cloak and pants. Jack tilted his head.

“Are all your clothes shadows? Like you’ve technically just been fighting us naked?”

“I am not naked. They are material.”

“You fought us naked.” Jack walked past him with the towel around his waist to go find his clothes.

“Those movies you talk about, there’s one where the main character makes herself a dress of ice. Don’t see why you don’t try it.”

“First off, since when do you watch movies? Secondly, that sounds so uncomfortable. Was it a cartoon?” Jack found his pants and briefs and hopped around a little as he pulled them on.

“It was. And I don’t watch them. I have fearlings patrolling portals around the world. That’s how I kept myself somewhat current on world events. They can get distracted sometimes.”

“Your fearlings wandered off to the movies and then came back and told you about it?”

“Some of them are still children at heart,” Pitch admitted as Jack pulled on his hoodie. His hair poofed out of it and he quickly combed it back down with his fingers.

“Maybe it’s time you experienced that stuff yourself,” Jack said. “If we’re careful, only go out during the day, we can walk the surface together. Besides, this is the busiest time of year for all the Guardians. No one will see us.”

“And if they do? You need to think big-picture, Jack,” Pitch said, pressing his fingertips together. “If someone spots us, they’ll assume I’ve taken you against your will. They will attack me. I’m not strong enough for a fight yet, and I don’t think -” Jack was still smiling as Pitch stopped his scolding. “Why are you grinning?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he snorted as he tried to choke down a laugh.

“Jack.”

“I could just tell them you didn’t take me against my will. I went to your bed willingly,” he laughed with a bright, white toothy smile. Pitch closed his eyes to keep from rolling them. He cast a large plume of shadows behind Jack and used them to push him closer.

“That you did.” Jack’s laughter quieted as he found himself up against Pitch, ensnared in shadow. “And… what if I wanted to do it again?”

“Only if you’re hungry,” Jack said with a mischievous look.

“I’m always hungry, remember?” Pitch looped his hoodie string and wrapped it around his finger a few times. He let himself bathe for a moment in Jack’s bright blue eyes, feeling like the light inside them could penetrate even his dark soul. Then, he teleported away and dropped Jack on the floor.

“Ow!” Jack was met with shooting pain in his backside as he hit the floor. Pitch chuckled under his breath.

“Where shall we surface?”

“I have a treehouse in Hawthorne with a good stash. I could pick up some money and a few changes of clothes for the day, if no one’s found it yet. I did challenge some kids to find it a while back,” he thought.

“Hawthorne… isn’t that where-”

“Jamie lives there. And yes, it’s where we kicked your butt,” Jack grinned.

“Cheeky.” Pitch whipped up a portal. “You’re in luck. It’s daylight there.” He cast an umbrella of shadow and walked through the portal with Jack.

“The treehouse is this way!” Jack took off, and Pitch followed, shifting through shadows to keep up.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a home,” Pitch said as Jack leapt up wooden boards nailed to a tall tree.

“I don’t. I keep stashes at clubhouses like this. Kids find ‘em all the time, so I don’t keep a lot, but sometimes they go undisturbed. Come on.” Jack poked his head out of the treehouse from the top and waved for Pitch to join him. Pitch slid up the shadows of the tree and materialized inside.

“It smells like children,” Pitch wrinkled his nose.

“You mean like silly string and cheese whiz and spilled soda?” Jack grinned. He pulled back a plank in the floor and pulled out a large cardboard box. He had a few changes of clothes, each an identical blue hoodie and brown pants but without his frost patterns, and between each was a small stack of money. “This should be more than enough. I’m surprised no one found it. I’ll leave some behind just in case.” He re-packed some of the money and hid the box. “How did that spell go…,” he muttered under his breath and cast a tiny portal to his bedroom in Nightfall, dropping the clothes through before it fell apart.

“You’re getting better. Keep practicing.” Jack beamed at the praise and pocketed the money. “Why do you leave little treasure boxes like this? Is it similar to what the other Guardians do with presents and hidden eggs?”

“Not really,” Jack shrugged. “I’ve always done this. One thing that’s never changed is kids have always looked for a secret hideout, a private clubhouse, something away from adults and real life to escape to. And man, you should see the light in their eyes when they find my clubhouses, already stocked with change and candy and games!” Jack smiled as he went through his collection. “Huh, this is new…” He plucked a magazine from the pile and nearly dropped it. “What the-! No! This place is for kids! What are they thinking!” Jack suddenly looked very angry and started rifling through the shelves and cushions in the treehouse. Pitch looked over his shoulder as Jack flung porn magazines and cut-outs and bikini-clad car calendars into the middle of the room. “I made these sanctuaries for children, not- not- places where they could- ugh!” Pitch just observed in silence. He very rarely got to see Jack truly angered. The sprite’s normally bright eyes went dark, his brow heavy under his frosty bangs, and he looked quite like a disappointed parent.

“Children eventually grow up,” Pitch offered a comment in loose comfort.

“Not exposed to fake, lewd things like this. Real people don’t act like this.” He held up one of the centerfolds. “And they shouldn’t learn to expect it. I’m getting rid of all of these.”

“I thought you said children liked having a private hideout. Are they going to feel secure and private if they realize someone took their prized possessions?”

“I know you are not defending children having access to raw porn right now,” he said, filling his arms with the clippings.

“Just pointing out a tad bit of hypocrisy. When you were curious about those dreams, didn’t you pick up a rather raunchy book of mine from the library?”

“Unintentionally…,” Jack pouted. “I put it back.”

“But you were curious and wanted to learn. Leave the things. Give them options, but don’t take options away. Censorship does more harm than good.”

“There are certain things children shouldn’t do.”

“And if you try to control them, you’re no better than me,” Pitch said, all teeth as he glared at Jack. Jack was clearly frustrated. “I’m not saying that eight-year-olds should be humping a cushion staring at- what is this- Veronica Vag-Eater? How classless… but I am saying that older kids need a safe place to figure out who they are and what they like. Believe it or not, some of them will also be disgusted by this and they won’t touch it. Just leave it. You’re not their parent, you’re a mythical Guardian.” Jack frowned in defeat and placed the pictures and magazines back under the cushions.

“I still don’t like it. I feel like I made this a shrine, a temple for childhood, and they- whoever they are, they-”

“Desecrated it?”

“Yeah!” Jack thumped his staff on the ground, casting a few spikes of frost. Pitch came over and placed a hand on Jack’s cheek.

“It’s alright. Children do stupid things, but you have to let them. Now, we were off to do our own stupid things, remember?” Jack nodded. “Come on, then.” He teleported out of the treehouse, and Jack climbed down slowly. “Chin up, Jack. What did you want to do first?”

“Well… I wanted to check what movies were playing…”

“Done.” Pitch cast a vision portal and found the closest theater. He saw a familiar title had a sequel. “Oh, I know which one you’d like,” he groaned.

“Why is that a bad thing? Which one?”

“It’s a children’s movie. Oh, and it’s a double-feature because of the holidays, how… perfect,” he said in disgust. “Alright, this was my idea. Jack, would you like to go to the movies?” He offered his arm, feeling a little repulsed at what he was about to do.

“I would. Are you going dressed like that, surrounded by shadows?”

“Oh, no one can see us anyway!” Pitch fussed.

“Speak for yourself, I get spotted all the time now,” Jack smirked. “And aren’t theaters big, dark, scary rooms? What if someone actually does see you and you’re surrounded by shadows?”

“Alright, fine!” Pitch cast a new outfit: black slacks with nice dress shoes, a formal jacket and petticoat, and a loose black scarf. “Better?”

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” Jack teased, hovering up into the air.

“And you’re underdressed. Don’t think because we had a good romp that I won’t beat your arse for good measure! I’ll end all this right now.”

“So dramatic,” Jack rolled his eyes. He took Pitch’s arm forcefully. “Yes, I’d love to go to the movies. Even if you’re going to dress like we’re going to a funeral.”

“I wear black,” Pitch said. Jack placed a hand on the scarf and cast frost around it, giving it a white shimmer.

“And now you wear black and white,” Jack grinned.

“At least in a double-feature you won’t be talking for four hours straight.”

“Can I have popcorn?”

“I don’t care,” Pitch said as he widened the portal and they walked through. “And why, if no one can see us, did you need money?”

“I don’t like stealing all the time. Even if they can’t see me.” Pitch held the door, and Jack noticed the kind act but only said a simple thank-you. “You find out what theater we need to go to, and I’ll handle snacks.” Jack went over to the snack bar and walked through everyone who couldn’t see him. With everyone on their phones or juggling children, Jack easily filled up a popcorn and two slushies without anyone noticing. He left cash on the counter near the register and went back to Pitch. “I got red and blue raspberry, I wasn’t sure which one you’d want.”

“What is a blue raspberry? Never mind, don’t answer that. We’re in theater seven.” Jack followed, and they found seats all the way in the back. “It already started but seeing as it’s a children’s movie you probably didn’t miss much.” Jack sat next to Pitch and got the snacks situated as the film showed two little girls playing in the dark.

 _“Do the magic! Do the magic!”_ Pitch caught Jack looking for his straw blindly with his tongue as he kept his eyes on the screen. His personality was constantly silly and carefree, and it put Pitch at ease in a way he never allowed himself to feel. He enjoyed it. He especially enjoyed the look on Jack’s face as the white-haired main character cast snow into the castle room.

“This is the movie the fearlings told me about. I thought it an odd series of coincidences and figured you would enjoy it.”

“She just- she just did what I can do!” Jack whispered.

“It’s just a movie, Jack.”

“I know,” he grumbled. He scooted a little closer to Pitch to settle in and stuffed his face with popcorn. Pitch shook his head and settled in for the movie. “Oh, and she’s using the wind to skate around faster- I know how to do that!” Jack bounced energetically and leaned against Pitch. “It looks like so much fun,” he whispered. Pitch couldn’t help a smile and got ready for the whole movie to be like this. Pitch slipped a few pieces of popcorn when Jack wasn’t looking. Jack definitely saw but didn’t say anything. “That’s not what trolls look like,” he scoffed.

“No, it is not,” Pitch agreed. Jack slapped Pitch’s arm.

“Did you hear what he said?”

“Removing the magic? Yeah, that’s a stupid idea. He should heal her and tell her the truth.” He slumped deeper into his seat.

“No,” Jack smiled fondly. “The troll said he would leave the fun.” Pitch liked the light in Jack’s eyes as he was drawn easily into the movie. He yawned and started to zone out, taking a bit of a nap. He woke to another slap in the arm.

“What? What’d I miss?”

“The parents are dead.”

“Tragic,” Pitch said with fake sincerity. He watched Jack more than he watched the movie, and he realized he didn’t mind the warmth he felt in knowing Jack was happy. “I bet I know the twist,” he muttered as the secret villain tangled with the princess.

“Sh, no spoilers,” Jack leaned forward, fully invested in the plot. He bopped along to the cute love song while Pitch rolled his eyes. “They seem to be having a lot of fun.”

“Can I spoil it now?”

“No!” Pitch leaned on his elbow and kept watching.

 _“I said enough!”_ Jack refocused on the screen as the new queen shot ice at her sister in the party.

“Whoa… temper issues.” Pitch nodded and leaned into Jack’s ear.

“It’s as though fear makes her power stronger,” he said in a sultry whisper. Jack shivered and bit his lip. Pitch kissed his neck gently and Jack squirmed with a nervous smile until Pitch stopped suddenly. “Wait a tic- she’s running on ice on the water. Why have you not done that?”

“I- it- it doesn’t work like that!”

“I think you’ve never tried because you’re afraid,” Pitch teased. “I hope you’re taking notes on things the cartoon can do that you can’t.”

“Fine,” Jack huffed. “I’ll try it later.”

“Ugh, more singing,” Pitch groaned.

“I thought you liked singing,” Jack smirked. He turned back to the screen, now watching more closely to see if he could mimic the magic in the movie. “You can do more than frost swirls,” he urged the character under his breath. Pitch covered his mouth so he wouldn’t laugh at how invested Jack was becoming. Jack was in awe as she crafted her ice castle. “That’s… so intricate…” Then, he slapped Pitch’s arm again. “That ice dress? That’s what you were talking about?” Pitch fully leaned back, laughing hysterically.

“You know, I can see you doing this?” He pointed. Jack threw popcorn at him.

“That’s not how ice works!”

“Have you tried? Because this isn’t how shadow works,” Pitch said, holding up his own coat, “and yet here it is.”

“Add it to the list,” he huffed. By the end of the movie, the list was rather extensive. Pitch and Jack stayed in the theater as everyone cleared out for restroom and snack breaks between movies. “Her ice creatures were so cool!” Jack jumped and floated around their row, filled with excitement, while Pitch stayed seated with his arms spread around both of his neighboring seats and his feet up on the chair in front of him. “They had personality and sentience. I gotta try that. The ice dress, just to prove it won’t work. The running on water is… that’ll take some time,” he rambled. “But the idea of magic that penetrates the heart and head, it’s so similar to our magic! The idea that fear increases her powers, but love thaws out everything, that’s… it’s so deep…”

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Pitch said, a little bored.

“You’re just upset you don’t have some dark Disney princess singing about shadow powers. You know, that reminds me, there is another movie with the boogeyman, and it’s also Disney.”

“What would that be?” Pitch looked over, half-interested.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas. His character is this sentient sack of bugs and creepy-crawlies.”

“Wonderful,” Pitch groaned.

“He’s got a catchy song, though,” Jack smirked. “Do you want more snacks?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Because I know I didn’t eat all of that popcorn.”

“Settle down, Jack, the next movie will be on soon.”

“Pitch?” He floated back down to his seat.

“What is it?”

“I don’t think I ever could have imagined you doing something like this… are you, are you just doing it for me, or are you enjoying yourself?” Pitch looked over at him and turned to face him.

“Can I not do both at the same time, be happy that you’re enjoying yourself?”

“Are you happy?” Jack asked.

“I believe I am,” Pitch admitted. “If you’d told me when we struck the deal I’d be doing this within a few weeks, I would have laughed in your face. But here we are and… I don’t mind. I am enjoying myself, Jack.”

“Good,” Jack nodded. The trailers started and the lights dimmed to prepare for the next movie. Jack not-so-subtly lifted the armrest between them and curled into Pitch’s side, testing his boundaries. Pitch allowed the contact and even put an arm around Jack- anything to make the sprite feel comforted and loved. That’s right, Pitch told himself, this was all in the name of keeping Jack on his side. Turning him against the Guardians by showing him the kinship they never gave him. This wasn’t about his own enjoyment at all. It was all about bringing Jack willingly to darkness. Wasn’t it? “It’s starting,” Jack pulled Pitch from his thoughts with another bright-eyed smile as the sequel started. Jack was a little less talkative this time around. He was a little more focused on Pitch’s heartbeat and the comfortable pressure of his embrace than he was on the movie. However, when a servant startled the queen on the balcony and she ice-blasted the railing in surprise, Pitch squeezed Jack and laughed.

“You definitely do that when I sneak up on you.”

“I overreact to make you feel better about yourself,” Jack grumbled. “Is anyone else in that town bothered that she’s scream-singing into the night?”

“You’re questioning a cartoon,” Pitch responded with a smirk. Jack was definitely taking it too seriously and relating way too hard with the queen’s loneliness and hesitation.

“Clairvoyant magic, through ice?” He whispered under his breath, filing it away under things to try later. “A suspended hailstorm, that’s not happening. It’s not possible and beyond that, it’s super not safe,” Jack said in disbelief. Pitch enjoyed his mumblings more than the movie and rubbed Jack’s arm every now and then. “Water has memory…?” Jack pondered as he watched. He looked at his own hands. “Could I have unlocked my own memory a long time ago, just with my powers?”

“Try it later,” Pitch urged. “Just relax for now.” Jack settled back into his side, appreciating the little bit of warmth from their embrace. “I like how they connected the vocals from the first movie. Nice touch,” Pitch said, more an appreciation of playwriting than of the cartoon itself. Jack was just happy that he could tell Pitch was enjoying himself, too. Jack then found himself staring at Pitch’s hand instead of his own. What were they to each other? They were enemies, and then they became something else when they struck the deal. They were living together, fighting and working together, and now, sleeping together? Jokes aside, was this really a date? Jack almost literally shook off the thought. Hand holding seemed both too childish and too committed to try, so he settled for just resting in Pitch’s hold. He was pulled back to the movie when the queen drew more memories from the ice to learn about her parents. He was most eager to try out that power, though he was also skeptical of it working.

“I don’t think I could ever run headfirst into a raging surf, especially knowing I could never cast enough ice to overcome it,” Jack said. Pitch could sense tiny trickles of fear as Jack imagined himself in the same scenario as the movie.

“I think you could if you wanted it badly enough. Like you said, her powers work better when she’s afraid. She probably terrified in this scene.”

“Hey, that’s my move!” Jack pointed as the queen shot a spiraling snowflake through the water at the water spirit.

“Yes, I remember seeing it up-close and being smashed into a wall,” Pitch said in a jokingly accusing tone.

“Shh, I think she’s gonna sing again!”

“How come you don’t wear glitter tights with sheer capes?” Pitch said, pointing at the character only to get shushed again. He grinned at Jack’s reddened cheeks. He could tell this song was stirring within Jack a bit more. The sprite had wanted to know more about himself ever since the Man in the Moon had awakened him, and this song felt like a spiritual journey nearing its end for Jack. Pitch normally only sensed fear and dark emotions, but this felt more like Jack was projecting pure inspiration and energy, his heart soaring with the ice queen’s. Pitch decided he wouldn’t say anything about Jack’s watering eyes at the climax of the song. He knew the winter sprite, just like himself, had longed for purpose and connection for so long that this scene must be touching heart strings deep within Jack.

“Whoa,” he muttered under his breath.

“Watching this, I wonder if there’s such a thing as too cold for even you,” Pitch said.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” But moments later, it was Pitch’s turn to be too enthralled in the movie. He was drawn to the princess’s song of grief and plowing through darkness to move forward. He felt distant memories plucking painfully at the back of his mind, and he worked to repress them as he watched the character climb towards the light. Jack started to get the first embers of an idea as he, too, watched the princess struggle through the darkness of grief, maturing as she worked through her sad song. Maybe, Jack thought, fear does have good purpose. Maybe Jack had been right all along.

“What do you think, could you cast ice like that on an open body of water?” Pitch asked towards the end of the movie.

“Hah, like you said, only if I had a really good reason.” The credits rolled with a rock version of the main song as the lights in the theater came up. “That was epic!” Jack shot to his feet.

“There were a lot of things wrong with that plotline,” Pitch groaned as he stood and stretched. “But I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Pessimist.”

“Cynic and realist,” Pitch corrected.

“You enjoyed it too.”

“I… can appreciate the art,” Pitch agreed only slightly. “It’s probably dark out now. We should head back to Nightfall.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Don’t be upset, but I had my fearlings do some scouting while we were watching the movie,” Pitch said.

“What kind of scouting?” Jack asked, throwing away their trash. One teenager with her eyes not completely on her phone was shocked by the sight of a floating drink holder and popcorn tin. Pitch pulled out an iPod with headphones.

“I had them look for a music device with as many kinds of music on it as possible. They found this abandoned at a park and, I’m not sure how they did it, but, they were able to add music until its memory was full. I need to do some more catching up on technology.” Jack took the device and scrolled through the music library stored on it.

“Oh my- this is- this is thousands of albums! How did they do this!”

“They spend more time on the surface than I do,” Pitch admitted, a little ashamed.

“We have to go try some of these out!”

“And the ideas for your powers from the movie,” Pitch added.

“I am so pumped! Let’s do this!” Jack snatched up his staff. “Let’s go, let’s go! Portal up!” Pitch smiled and cast them a portal back to Nightfall. Jack took his arm and walked through, not even the slightest bit worried that they’d been seen. Sophie Bennett, now almost six years old, knew without a doubt, that as she was leaving the theater with her friend, she had seen a boy with white hair walk through a portal and disappear. And he looked wildly familiar. It wasn’t until the drive home in the back of her friend’s mom’s car that she connected the dots. She had only been two years old when she accidentally wandered into Bunny’s Warren and helped decorate Easter eggs, but Jamie had drawings of Jack and the Guardians in his room ever since their adventure. Young Sophie knew that blue hoodie, that question-mark staff, and that white hair all distinctly from her older brother’s drawings, and she couldn’t wait to tell him that Jack Frost was back in Hawthorne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple things to address here- in my research, Jack's hometown from the RotG movie is Burgess, but it is based on the town of Hawthorne which, according to some sources, used to be called Burgess. I chose to use Hawthorne here more out of stylistic preference (since Burgess literally just means a citizen of a township), and because I've written this story to parallel the real world and current timeline of 2020. And, an Easter Egg! The opera song that Pitch sings in the beginning is a very famous aria, but that's not why I chose it. I chose it because I'm a huge nerd for family movies and I adore Happy Feet (the first and second movie). Erik's opera in the second movie is based on E Lucevan le Stelle, and when I learned this and listened to it for the first time, I fell in love with it. Check out the original song and its translation here:  
> http://www.aria-database.com/search.php?individualAria=305, and listen here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU5roitYI1s.  
> Jack, of course, is more well-versed in movies than in opera, so he pulls on songs from the 2004 Phantom of the Opera.  
> What did you think of their fluffy movie date?  
> Please comment/kudos/RnR- anything! For those anxiously awaiting the next upload, chapter 20 is set to be posted this weekend.


	20. Overcoming

**Ch. 20- Overcoming**

The two decided to ease back into training with another swordfight to stretch out after sitting at the movie for so long. Jack had grumbled about keeping their no-magic rules, but Pitch promised they could test powers afterwards. Pitch could tell Jack was distracted, his mind elsewhere as they swept through the motions and danced around each other. He held back slightly to keep the fight going. Jack tried to rely on his shield more this time, following some of Pitch’s earlier instruction, but it felt too bulky and awkward. He was somewhat relieved when Pitch knocked it free from his hand.

“Focus, Jack!” Jack dodged a side-swipe and dropped down, kicking Pitch’s legs out. For a tall man, he was fast, and Pitch was back on his feet before Jack could claim victory. The Nightmare King stopped holding back, releasing a flurry of attacks that had Jack stumbling back as he failed to keep up. Jack watched Pitch’s eyes get darker as he backed the winter spirit against the wall. Panicked past thinking clearly, Jack lost their pattern and froze as Pitch laid his long blade across the other’s neck. Pitch kept Jack against the wall, panting with effort through a half-open smile. Jack raised his hands in defeat, his sword clattering to the floor.

“Zero-one,” Jack sighed as he tried to slow his breathing. Pitch didn’t move. Something nagged at the back of his mind, and he could have sworn he heard a whisper telling him to ‘finally finish him off.’ Jack saw no light in Pitch’s eyes, the ominous eclipse of his iris in full darkness. “Pitch?” He waved a little, confused. “You won. Are we going again?” Pitch started to lean forward, pressing the blade a little harder against Jack’s throat. With the fight over, Jack saw no reason to keep his magic at bay and shot a powdery snowball from his open palm. The face-full of frost was enough to shake Pitch from his trance. His eyes changed, light returning slightly, and he released Jack. “What was that?” Jack accused, rubbing his neck.

“Just trying to scare you,” Pitch smirked. Jack shrugged it off, but Pitch had his eyes on the shifting shadows on the walls. Ignoring the dark voices of his own shadow army had become habit, but perhaps he’d also become complacent and started underestimating them. He forgot he often had to remind them who was in charge.

“Órla Fallon? I feel like I know that name…” Pitch turned back to see Jack scrolling through the music player’s library. He put in an earbud and gave a wide smile. “I do know this! Oh, this makes me think of so many things!”

“What are you listening to?”

“I guess you could call it revived traditional? Revived folk music? It’s Celtic, and it just sounds so fun! I know something similar to this. I can play it for you.” Pitch made his sword disappear and picked up Jack’s to place it back on the wall as the sprite started drawing frost designs on the floor. Jack materialized a pan flute, ice-filled maracas, and a xylophone from frost; the instruments had an ethereal glow and looked more ghostly than icy. The ice instruments floated around him, following his whims as fast as he could think them up. The maracas laid the fast rhythm while the xylophone started the harmony to the introduction, both on their own. Jack tested out his pan flute and floated up into the air as he started a melody to follow along with Fallon’s song “Ni Na La.” Pitch was impressed with how quickly Jack had become inspired and created a one-man band.

“Sounds like wood nymphs and fauns dancing in the forest,” he smiled fondly. Jack smiled between breaths, puffing gently on his pan flute. “What’s the song about?”

“Don’t send me out into the dark! The night is cold, and I’ll be perished. Stay inside with me a while. Is bim ag ol anseo go maidin,” Jack sang along, “Nil ‘na la, ta na la, nil ‘na la, na ar maidin! Nil ‘na la, ta ‘na la. Is bean a ra, is i ar fhaga!”

“Is that Gaelic?” Pitch asked. Jack made the pan flute disappear and nodded.

“It is. It means daybreak has not yet come. It’s mostly about a man who doesn’t want the night to end, and a woman calling him foolish, I think. My Gaelic is rusty.” He quieted the xylophone and maracas.

“You made instruments that play themselves,” Pitch pointed out.

“It’s been a long time! I’ve done it before. I inspired the ice concerts up in Northern Europe and the humans got really creative with it,” Jack rambled. “They made horns, xylophones, shakers, even strung some basses.”

“But yours play by themselves,” he repeated in emphasis.

“Yeah? I’ve brought frost to life before. Like my snowflakes. But you sent the fearlings after them, so I guess I didn’t want to after that.”

“These are different from your snowflakes. They’re not as material.” Pitch walked around the instruments. “They seem to be part frost and part spirit.” Jack thought for a moment and made a frost silhouette of Pitch on the wall beside him. Pitch held still, watching with interest as Jack drew him. Jack walked over and stood in front of the silhouette, concentrating as he held his hands out. Pitch was surprised as a frosty ghost of himself materialized from the wall as though walking through a portal into the room. The Frost Pitch stood beside him and mirrored his movements. Jack grinned. Pitch circled the silhouette, amazed by Jack’s magic and how it captured both his likeness and body language. Frost Pitch folded his hands behind his back and gave real Pitch a haughty look. Pitch went to touch the frost silhouette and it burst into a sparkling cloud of tiny snowflakes. “Fascinating. And this isn’t something new?”

“No. I just don’t do it very often. No reason to, really, and it takes a lot of focus,” Jack admitted as he floated up into the air with his hands in his hoodie pocket.

“You didn’t mention it when we were going over your powers. Does it have a name or a technique?”

“Uh, that’s because I forgot about it. I don’t know. Maybe… frostlings, since you have the fearlings?”

“That’s what you called your sentient snowflakes.”

“Okay, well then those can be sentient snowflakes and these can be frostlings,” Jack rolled his eyes.

“Conjuring frostlings… Let’s explore that more.” Pitch made a small portal to retrieve his own notes. He and Jack continued to work into the night, discussing ideas and testing the limits of Jack’s conjurations.

A day passed. Then another. Jack was increasingly more interested in researching and testing the connection between music and magical power. Within two weeks, he had speakers and an even bigger music library to shuffle through with Pitch. He preferred any song that sounded happy or fun, while Pitch was pickier and stuck to classical and opera. They had found a slight common ground in rock and metal, but very few songs pleased them both. No matter what kind of music they played, though, it certainly affected their magic. For Jack, music was an inspiration. He used conjuring and ice to physically interpret the music, often creating things as quickly as he could think of them. His wild imagination brought the songs to life, and Pitch noted that music seemed to focus and increase his magic. Jack kept notes for Pitch. While the dark spirit didn’t need any help with concentration, music fueled his power as well. The more he got lost in a particular song, the stronger his magic was. Portals were bigger, nightmare creatures conjured more quickly and solidly, and he felt more energized.

They didn’t spend all their time studying music and magic, though. They also took plenty of breaks, usually courtesy of Jack. He had convinced Pitch a couple of times to make a portal to a nice, vacant hotel room so they could check the movies playing. Some movies, like Phantom of the Opera, they got lost in together, losing track of time or singing along. Others they had to watch a second time after they’d become distracted on the large, soft hotel beds. Just after the one-month mark of their deal, Jack was starting to wonder what he and Pitch were becoming. Were labels important or necessary? Were there feelings involved and reciprocated equally? But the biggest question hanging over Jack’s head was how would the Guardians react if they knew he was with Pitch? In any capacity, not just working together or screwing around together.

Beyond that, Pitch had his own concerns. Most of his fearlings were content with having Jack around, but a few still whispered dark, hateful things. The nagging, violent voices were fading with time, though, and Pitch assumed they were submitting to his will. Jack Frost was currently a welcome presence in Castle Nightfall, and there was nothing the fearlings could say that would change his mind. He needed Jack on his side if he ever wanted to rise to power again, anyway, and this was working well.

Besides, Pitch thought one day while watching Jack dance goofily to a childish pop song, he genuinely enjoyed the sprite’s company. He was consistently surprised by how warm and fulfilling it felt to be around someone who was the embodiment of winter. If someone so cold and lonely and mischievous could find a way to smile and be kind, could find a reason to overcome his dark nature each and every day, then perhaps Pitch could, too. Maybe Jack was right about fear and darkness having their place in the world, Pitch thought. Additionally, he was quite pleased that he’d been right about being able to feed off Jack through fornication rather than fear. And to reward that delightful finding, Pitch decided he would help Jack start to overcome some of his fears.

Still, neither realized that Christmas was just over three weeks away, with time slipping away faster for both of them. North was about to send invitations to his annual Christmas party which Jack had dutifully attended three years in a row now since becoming a Guardian. In the past, he’d preferred to find his own party with the humans. Unaware of the calendar and unable to be found in Castle Nightfall, Jack’s magic invitation was about to get long lost trying to find him. Right now, he had bigger things to worry about- like Pitch leading him to a new room where the only feature was a dark, Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Jack tried to protest.

“Oh, yes,” Pitch smirked. “Time to start overcoming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ice Music Festival:  
> https://www.passportandpixels.com/ice-music-festival-norway/
> 
> Thank you so much for the hits and kudos and especially comments. I love hearing from you all!  
> Look for the next post on Tuesday, the 24th!


	21. Perish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for over 1000 hits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> TToTT <3

**Ch. 21- Perish**

“I feel like this really isn’t necessary,” Jack said. He floated above the middle of the pool, giving Pitch a blank stare, bound from neck to toe in tight, semi-material shadow.

“You’re a slippery one, I’ll give you that.” Pitch leaned against the wall, looking slightly exhausted. Jack had successfully escaped the room twice, evading Pitch’s attempts to get him in the water, and he had slipped out of Pitch’s shadow-bindings three times since Pitch reinforced the doors with his dark magic. Pitch twirled Jack’s staff absently.

“I’m not goin’ in the water,” Jack said stubbornly. “I’ll freeze this whole room,” he threatened.

“Come now, Jack. You’re trying to do so much for me. Let me do something for you,” Pitch urged. Jack restarted his efforts to break free from the shadows, bits of frost and ice slipping out between their spiraling grasp on his body.

“There’s- no- point!” Jack said between struggling grunts. “Why would I ever need to know how to swim!”

“You’re a Guardian, aren’t you? Small, helpless children fall in the water all the time. Far more impairing if the water is freezing cold, as it often is in winter.” Jack let out a loud, exaggerated groan of defeat. “I won’t try to drown you this time, promise. I’ll teach you how to swim.”

“Then why are you still dry?” Jack narrowed his eyes. Pitch smirked and took off his cloak, letting it fade into shadow. The only light in the room came from two candelabras on opposite walls, leaving the deep pool water looking inky and black. Pitch sat on the side and slipped into the water smoothly, not disturbing it much. He treaded over to where his shadows held Jack above the surface.

“I’m not letting you leave this room again until you’ve either learnt to swim or at least overcome your fear of the water.”

“I really don’t want to do this.”

“If fear was easy to overcome, no one would be afraid of anything. I’m right here, Jack. I’m going to bring you in and release you, and you can hold onto me until you’re comfortable letting go.”

“No drowning?”

“I promised,” Pitch nodded. He gestured to the shadows and lowered Jack into the water in front of him. He felt the expected fear and frustration pouring off Jack like he was sweating in a sauna. “Ready?”

“No,” Jack mumbled, pouting. He closed his eyes and held his breath as the shadows disappeared. Immediately, he started sinking like a rock, not even making an effort to stay on the surface.

“Damn it, Jack,” Pitch muttered under his breath. He dove down to catch the sprite and then brought him back up to the surface. Jack gasped and hooked his arms around Pitch’s neck tightly, his eyes shut tight.

“I want out!” Jack panicked.

“Calm down, calm down.” Pitch stroked his back. “First, get this off so it doesn’t weigh you down. I’ll hold you up.” Jack didn’t want to move his arms, but slowly he let go and let Pitch keep him upright as he took off his soaked hoodie. He cast a cool breeze to send it off to the side of the pool, and then he went back to clinging to Pitch. He couldn’t escape nagging memories even with his eyes closed. The dark water dredged up some of his worst experiences, and he relived them as strongly as if they were all happening again at once. “Jack,” Pitch tried to get him to focus on the present. “Just feel the water. Nothing’s going to hurt you. No one’s drowning. Want to know a secret?” Jack peeked an eye open. “Swimming can be fun, too.”

“I know that,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Just… not for me.”

“You just hang on then, until you’re comfortable enough to let go.” Jack held on tighter as Pitch started a lazy backstroke. He swam backwards with Jack on his chest, focusing on the other’s feelings. After nearly one full lap, Jack finally started to relax a little. He loosened his grip and let the water flow between them.

“Alright, this isn’t… awful,” he admitted.

“Ready for me to start showing you things?”

“Maybe,” Jack said skeptically.

“Tread with me.” Pitch stopped and showed Jack a few different ways to tread water, gradually putting more space between them and dipping down to pull Jack up as needed. “You sink fast for someone so light,” he gasped the third time Jack fell under. “Doesn’t ice float in water?”

“Yeah, but I’m not made of it,” Jack mumbled, smoothing his hair back out of his face.

Pitch got him to stay in for a couple hours, never more than an arm’s distance away to make sure he felt safe. Jack figured out how to stay afloat and how to tread, but swimming didn’t come as easily. He panicked and sank too much.

“You have to relax,” Pitch reminded him. He’d lost count of how many times Jack had slipped under now.

“I just can’t, alright! As soon as I’m under, it all comes back!” He said, fighting back tears as he clung to Pitch. “I just get this- this- awful, heavy feeling of dread, like something’s going to come for me!” Pitch hushed and comforted patiently each time Jack broke down. He was seriously starting to regret drowning Jack in the lake. Then, he realized what he was missing.

“Your human sister was scared, too. I saw that memory of yours. She was terrified. The ice was cracking. You remember what you told her?” Jack nodded quietly. “You said nothing bad was going to happen, that you two were going to have fun instead. You took a dangerous situation and not only got her out of it, but you also made her feel safe. You can do that for yourself, too. Make a game out of it. If you sink, pretend it’s like hopscotch. Find the bottom and bounce back. I know it’s dark, but there is nothing in here that will hurt you. Now, try again.” Pitch released Jack, and the sprite tried to swim after him, his form sloppy and hasty. This time, when Jack went under, Pitch decided to wait. It was only nine feet at its deepest. Jack opened his eyes under the water, trembling as he tried not to panic this time. He looked up and saw refracted bits of the candles on the close wall. He looked down, seeing only numbing darkness. He flinched when his feet found the unseen bottom, and then he crouched down and pushed off hard. Pitch felt a tinge of relief when Jack surfaced, gasping, and managed to find the side of the pool on his own.

“Hopscotch,” Jack said. “That is nothing like hopscotch.” Pitch chuckled. He swept his arms to join Jack at the side when suddenly, the sprite was yanked under the water faster than either of them could react. Pitch dove after him, immediately angered as he suspected a mischievous fearling. Jack held his hands over his mouth and nose, desperately fighting the urge to take a breath since he hadn’t been able to before being pulled down. He kicked at whatever clawed creature had a grip on his ankle, and the water around him started to crystallize and freeze. Pitch fought through the growing cold, following Jack’s fear since he couldn’t see the other. It was somehow much deeper than nine feet all of a sudden, and Pitch felt murderous at the prospect of his fearlings doing something so despicable. He reached out blindly and found Jack’s arm, only to get elbowed as the sprite flailed in fear. Pitch dove down faster and hooked an arm around Jack’s waist, and then he launched them both out of the pool with a column of shadow. He brought Jack to the side, holding onto him tightly. Sure enough, still holding onto Jack’s ankle was a large, older fearling, grinning evilly at Pitch. Without a second thought, Pitch conjured a shadow spear and impaled the fearling into the far wall, his eyes bright with passion and vengeance. Jack trembled violently all over, gasping and clinging to Pitch. He was too deep in shock to have noticed the dying fearling. “What happened!” He finally managed to speak.

“I need to have a heart-to-heart with my fearlings,” Pitch growled. His anger fizzled out as he held Jack in his arms. The sprite curled into his chest, trying to stop his panicked sobs. “I’m so sorry…”

“It- it wasn’t your fault,” he stammered.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” Pitch said before he realized the feelings behind his words. In an attempt to distract them both from what he’d just said, he stood with Jack in his arms. “Let’s get you washed up. You reek of chlorine.” Jack let himself be carried, dwelling on Pitch’s words. The Nightmare King… sworn enemy of the Guardians… didn’t want anything bad to happen to him?

They shared a warm, silent shower. Jack let Pitch dote over him a bit, wrapping him in a heated, fluffy towel and hand-drying his hair, but it left him very confused. Pitch brought Jack to the fireplace in the library once they were dressed and made tea. He put on a quiet piano record and walked up to Jack with his head down.

“You don’t have to feel bad,” Jack said. “You helped me a lot. What happened was a fluke.”

“I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Disobedience is not tolerated,” Pitch growled, knowing a few spying fearlings could hear him.

“It was just a stupid prank.”

“I made a promise, however small, and they broke it,” Pitch said solemnly. Jack leaned over and grabbed Pitch’s hand. He yanked the tall spirit down to the floor in front of the fire with him.

“Drink your tea, posh,” Jack demanded. Pitch still felt badly. “Disobedience is not tolerated,” Jack teased with a smirk. Pitch could tell he still hadn’t fully calmed down from the ordeal but was trying very hard to move forward. He swirled the tea in his cup and side-glanced at Jack.

“Is that so? What if I refuse? Perhaps I’m too exhausted for tea after having to save you fifty times.” Jack’s mischievous smile finally returned, and he climbed over Pitch’s lap.

“If you refuse, I have to punish you. Isn’t that how it works?” Pitch was quickly becoming addicted to the dark lust in Jack’s blue eyes peering through frosty bangs at him.

“You? Punish me? In my own castle? Perish the thought,” Pitch bantered back. “You’re mine. I’ll just take what I want.”

“What if that’s what I want, too?”

“Then I think you’re talking too much.” Pitch rolled them both over, closer to the heat of the fire, and ran his hands up inside Jack’s hoodie. The dancing flame cast warm light and flickering shadows across them both as they stripped each other once more, and Jack’s fears waned completely as he was lost again in Pitch’s bright, eclipsing eyes.


	22. Nightmare Needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving everyone- I'm posting 22 and 23 as a holiday double-feature! Enjoy!

**Ch. 22- Nightmare Needed**

Jack hooked his legs around Pitch as the other seated himself inside fully. He groaned and arched off the floor, trying to adjust. Pitch wrapped Jack’s wrists in shadow again and locked his arms over his head, exposing his body more.

“What is it with you and the shadows?” Jack chuckled. “You know I can get out of this.”

“But the fact that you don’t tells me you like it,” Pitch grinned, scratching down his chest. “You like being trapped beneath me. Admit it.” Firm tendrils of shadow curled all over Jack’s skin, like a hundred hands trying to claim him. Jack stifled a deep moan as he sank into the feeling of being touched all over, bathing in attention. “I could wrap you up more. Leather cuffs, here,” he said, squeezing Jack’s wrists. “Leather choker with a cute little leash.” He wrapped a thin shadow around Jack’s neck, just enough sensation for the sprite to imagine his words were real. “Bind your arms back so you’re on display for me. Tie your legs to the poles of my bed so you can’t move away. Maybe even a little leather here, too,” he ran a finger down Jack’s length, “keep you from finishing until I want you to.”

“Kinky bastard,” Jack accused, though his face was flushed and his eyes were wanting as he followed along with the fantasy. Pitch responded by suddenly pulling out to the tip and thrusting in hard, driving Jack into the floor. Jack’s desperate cry was music to his ears as he started a slow a rhythm. Jack locked his ankles behind Pitch and rolled into the movements with him, limbs tingling with pleasure. Every breath was heavy and labored, paired with a voice he couldn’t control. He squeezed down on Pitch when he could remember how to work his muscles, smiling when he got a reaction from the dark spirit. Even better was when Pitch latched onto his neck with bruising, biting force. The marks never lasted long, but they were pleasant reminders for them both until they healed. Pitch looked down at Jack, enjoying the messy, unraveled picture beneath him. Jack tried not to look so obvious as he glanced back and forth at Pitch’s lips and licked his own. Pitch knew what he was thinking, but he refused to act on it unless asked. Jack looked off to the side as though scolding himself, and Pitch took the opportunity to attack the other side of his neck. “Give me my hands back,” Jack said quietly.

“No,” Pitch responded with a nip to his ear. Jack cast ice across the shadows, their magic mingling as he tried to break free. Pitch picked up the pace to distract him. He grabbed at Jack’s hips and drove into the sprite hard. Jack was embarrassed by how much he was leaking as he got closer, but he desperately wanted to hold onto Pitch. Being close to him in the pool had been so comfortable, even with the dread of the water. He froze the shadows away and freed his hands then jerked up and wrapped his arms around Pitch’s neck, sitting up slightly. Pitch pulled Jack up onto his lap as he rose to his knees, pleasantly surprised when Jack took charge and started moving on his own. Jack let his feet sweep around, fully seated on Pitch’s lap. He locked his hands and leaned back a little, staring into Pitch’s eyes as they ground together. “You want something else,” Pitch said knowingly, pressing his forehead into Jack’s.

“I do, but it scares me. I don’t want to be scared when I make that decision.” He licked his lips again, clearly wanting to try a kiss.

“You don’t have to be,” Pitch said. “But I won’t press.” Jack moved in slowly, and then bit Pitch’s nose. “Ow!” Jack snickered and ground against him firmly.

“Jack Frost nippin’ at your nose,” he sang into Pitch’s ear.

“You cheeky little arse,” Pitch growled playfully. He grabbed Jack’s hips and controlled him, slamming in as deep as he could go. Jack gasped and held on, muffling his grumbled moans. He buried his nose in Pitch’s collar, enjoying the warmth and the gooseflesh that rose on Pitch’s skin. Pitch shifted his angle, driving right over Jack’s spot.

“Pitch!”

“I know,” he grunted. “Go ahead.” He stroked the small of Jack’s back, by now well aware of it as his strongest erogenous zone, and coaxed Jack to climax between them. Jack shivered and clenched as he came, tightening down deliciously on Pitch’s length and drawing out the other’s orgasm. Pitch thrust involuntarily a few times, holding Jack close. The fire next to them was dying, and the room was freezing cold, as it usually was when they were done. Jack had a tendency to make any room colder, but it was amplified during these activities. During a nice, clean shower romp, he had accidentally frozen the pipes in the hotel room they’d been borrowing.

“I think we need another shower,” Jack muttered, drawing little circles on Pitch’s back as he rested his head on his shoulder.

“I think you’re right. Filthy little boy.”

“Dirty old man,” Jack smirked. Pitch lifted them both with shadow so they wouldn’t have to move much and carried Jack back to the shower.

“Me, old man? Isn’t that part of your title, Old Man Winter?”

“I could call you youngin’,” Jack teased.

“Special snowflake.”

“Booger-man.”

“You have the humour of a child.”

“You like it.”

“I might. But I swear, one of these days, you’re going to freeze me solid in the middle of things.”

The next day, Jack woke with the energy of the sun. He full-on body-slammed Pitch to wake him up, even though he’d already been awake and faking sleep, and started a castle-wide chase and magic battle. Pitch cornered him in dark tunnels and rooms multiple times until Jack complained that the game wasn’t fair on Pitch’s home turf.

“Why don’t we do this up top?” Jack said after his fifth capture, panting from exertion.

“Why, because now we’re up to best five out of nine?” Pitch tossed Jack’s staff back and forth between his hands.

“Give it back!” Jack laughed, jumping off the walls to circle Pitch and try to snatch it away. Pitch played keep-away for a minute before letting him grab it. Though Pitch hadn’t noticed how much more he was smiling, Jack certainly had, and he took full credit. “Find us a nice wood to play in, something near a small town maybe where I can bring some snow.” Jack made a tiny portal to his room and grabbed his music player and speaker.

“It’s early in your normal territory. Still dark, but no moonlight. We could try it.” Pitch showed him a portal to a town near Hawthorne where dawn was still an hour or so away.

“Let’s see if you can catch me now!” Jack took off through the portal. Pitch gave him a five-count head start before going after him. Jack raced over the rooftops of small suburban houses, half jumping and half flying. He glanced back to see if Pitch was following but didn’t see him anywhere. He was about to turn back when he heard angry shouting. Something tugged at him, like he was being pulled by an invisible string, and he followed it almost mindlessly. The only house with lights on this early in the morning was at the end of a cul-de-sac. The property backed up to the woods. Jack floated over the roof and then drifted down until he could make out words. A couple upstairs were locked in a heated argument. He peeked through the bottom corner of the window, but he wasn’t really listening to them. Directly across the room from the window, standing at the cracked-open bedroom door, was a short little figure: a young girl in her pajamas, probably awakened by the fighting. Jack knew it was none of his business, but as the girl darted away from the bedroom unseen, he felt an undeniable need to help her. Pitch snuck up behind Jack, rising from the large shadow on the side of the house, but he stopped when Jack darted over to another window, trying to follow the little girl.

“What is it, Jack?” Jack clutched his staff and curled up in shock with a short gasp.

“Don’t sneak up on me!” The girl looked over at her window and Jack and Pitch both ducked.

“She’s terrified,” Pitch said.

“Don’t even think about it,” Jack hissed.

“I wasn’t,” Pitch put his hands up innocently. “I was just trying to say, her fears are complicated and mature for someone so young. She’s afraid her parents are going to split. Afraid of her father. She’s replaying a memory. Her father hit her mother tonight, and not for the first time. She’s teetering between dread and denial.”

“She’s going to run away,” Jack realized as the little girl stuffed a pink, glittery backpack with what she deemed essential. “It’s cold out, and I’m not even doing anything yet.”

“You could stop her, then. Make it colder,” Pitch said. “Or, I don’t know, make it snow in her room.”

“This is bigger than that. I bring fun, yes, but… she doesn’t need fun. She needs her parents to pay attention.” Jack looked concerned as the little girl put on her shoes and backpack and snuck out of her room. He flew to the door and tried to think of what to say for when she opened it. The little girl crept out of the front door slowly. Her parents were still yelling upstairs and hadn’t noticed anything. Jack tried to catch her as she took off running, but she went right through him. “She doesn’t believe,” Jack gasped. “She can’t see me.”

“I don’t think she believes in anything right now.”

“Where’s she going?” Jack flew after her, and Pitch followed.

“I can only sense thoughts that involve fear. Right now, she’s just angry, so I can’t tell.” Jack gasped and stopped.

“Pitch!” He grabbed the other’s shoulders mid-air.

“What?”

“This is it! This is what your powers are for! Fear keeps people safe. She’s too angry to be afraid right now. She needs fear to drive her back to her parents. They need to see that they upset her so much she was willing to run away!”

“You want me to scare her?” Pitch asked carefully.

“Yes,” Jack said. “Send her back home, where it’s safe. I’ll handle the dad if he tries anything. Just because they can’t see me doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. Hurry, before she gets too far!” Pitch gave Jack a worried look but nodded and went after the little girl. He was conflicted. Jack could be right. He could have been wrong about his powers all along. He could have been using them for something much better than plunging the world back into darkness. The girl slowed down as she got to a bus stop and checked the schedule with her finger. Pitch looked at it, too, unseen by the girl. The one she wanted was scheduled to show up in five minutes, so he didn’t have much time. He stood in front of her, focusing on drawing out her fears. He found the memory of a nightmare and watched it.

“Got it,” he grinned. He dropped under a sewer grate and summoned a nightmare wolf. The girl’s dream had been about a strange swamp-wolf creature chasing her into mud where she got stuck and woke up just as it was about to eat her. Sewer wolf was close enough, he figured. He made the nightmare wolf howl, long and loud. The girl jumped and stared at the sewer grate with wide eyes. Pitch sent the wolf up through the small holes in the grate, looking like a shapeless mass of slime as it oozed up to the surface. The wolf made gurgling noises until it had its canine shape back, and it growled at the girl. She screamed and back up further into the bus stop. Pitch peeked up through the grate and had the wolf circle her, getting her out of the bus stop. The nightmare wolf’s eyes glowed and it barked at her, spurring her to motion. She started to run, and it gave chase. Pitch directed the wolf, flying above them both, having it herd her back towards the house. He kept her on the sidewalk away from bushes and other houses and made sure the wolf was close but not catching up with her. The closer she got to the house, the more distance he put between the girl and the wolf. Jack was waiting in the living room, ready to seal the door in ice once she was inside. The little girl burst into the front and slammed the door behind her, sobbing and shaking. Jack glanced out the window to see Pitch petting his nightmare wolf in the middle of the cul-de-sac. The father heard the door slam and yelled for the mother to shut up so he could check it out. He came down with a baseball bat and was disarmed, physically and emotionally, when his daughter ran up and hugged him around the legs tightly. She sobbed and rambled about the slimy, evil wolf that came out of the sewer and chased her.

Jack thought it was creative, to say the least. He paced the living room, eyeing the parents as they comforted the girl and figured out what happened. The father got visibly angry again as he realized she had tried to run away, and Jack had his staff at the ready as he watched the father’s fists tighten. The mother crouched down and held the girl, glaring up at the father. Pitch slipped under the door to join Jack, and they watched the parents put the girl back to bed.

“I’m gonna eavesdrop and see if the parents make up. I want to make sure she’s safe. Her father rubs me the wrong way.” Jack left and followed them to their bedroom.

“Don’t leave me with- ugh.” Pitch looked over the girl in bed. She cried softly into her pillow. “Running away from your problems doesn’t solve them,” he said, striding to the window. He hadn’t expected her to hear him.

“Who are you?” She whimpered from the bed. He turned back and made eye contact, shocked that she could see him. “Why are you in my room?” Pitch was speechless. He took a knee by her bedside.

“You can see and hear me?” The girl nodded, hugging a stuffed bear. “I’m the boogeyman,” he said. “I create nightmares and control darkness and fear.” Jack was about to walk in when he heard them talking and stopped at the door. He covered his mouth so he wouldn’t give himself away, ecstatic that the girl could see Pitch. “A friend of mine told me you were in danger.”

“The wolf was you?”

“I made him. I wouldn’t have let him hurt you.” Pitch snapped his fingers and called the wolf over. He sat obediently next to Pitch. “See?” He pet the wolf. She sat up, reached out carefully, and did the same. She gave him a tiny smile, still hugging her bear. “You shouldn’t run away. Even if home gets scary. You should find someone you trust to talk to.”

“Like Mr. Stuffles?” She held up her bear.

“Like someone real,” Pitch said. “You can work the phone?” She nodded. “You have family or friends you can call?” She nodded again. “Then if this happens again, and you get the urge to run away, you do that instead. Find someone who can help you.”

“And no more slimy wolves?”

“Maybe just on Halloween,” he smirked.

“Okay.” She hugged her bear tightly and flopped back against her pillow. Pitch stood to leave. “Thank you, Mr. Boogeyman.” Pitch didn’t know what to say. He held a finger to his lips and slipped out of the room, and he jumped a little when he was met with a big, bright, winter sprite smile. Jack grabbed his arm and made a portal, flying them out into the woods behind the house.

“That was amazing! She- she could see you! You got her back home! Her folks talked each other down. And she could see you!” Pitch stood still and watched Jack hop energetically from tree branch to tree branch, unable to contain himself. He landed in front of Pitch, eyes full of wonder. “You used your powers to protect her.”

“The fearlings will think I’ve gone soft,” he scoffed.

“Who cares! She saw you!” Pitch tried and failed to keep down a small smile.

“She did.”

“Thank you, Mr. Boogeyman,” Jack teased in a high-pitched voice.

“Alright, come off it.” Pitch sighed. “You were right. I can use my powers for something besides nightmares and darkness.” Jack sat cross-legged in mid-air, grinning. The sun started to rise, orangey rays beaming through the woods.

“You know what this calls for? A snowball fight!”

“Jack, I don’t feel like-” Pitch received a perfectly powdery snowball to the face and watched Jack take off into the woods as he wiped it off.

“Now you’re asking for it.” He shifted through the tree shadows to chase after his frosty sprite.


	23. Puppet

**Ch. 23- Puppet**

“I’m gonna eavesdrop and see if the parents make up. I want to make sure she’s safe. Her father rubs me the wrong way.” Jack walked into the parents’ bedroom, his eyes dark and hateful. The father sat on the bed with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

“What the hell was she thinking?” He groaned.

“She was just scared. She woke up, heard us going at it, and got scared.”

“This is your fault!” He jumped up, a fat finger in the mother’s face. Jack glared at the father, gripping his staff tightly. She flinched back, afraid of getting hit again. “You’re too soft with her. Sitting here lazy at home all the time- what do you even do while I’m working to the bones on the construction site! You didn’t have dinner ready! The house was a disaster!”

“Darrell, please, I told you, I had to pick her up early from school, and there was traffic-”

“I don’t want your excuses! You know what we’re going to do now?” Darrell backed her away from the door, raising a fist. Jack gritted his teeth and fired a powerful shot of frost magic into the back of Darrell’s head. The mother blinked tears away, trembling.

“Darrell?” She whimpered.

“We’re…” He looked at his fist and dropped his hands, backing away. “We’re gonna have fun.” His eyes sparkled blue for a moment. “I’m… I’m going to take off work tomorrow. We’ll call little Lilac in sick. We’ll have fun.” His voice was suddenly soft and sincere.

“Darrell, you’re scaring me…” She flinched again as he grabbed her hands.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Jack smirked as Darrell copied what he was doing. Strings of ice connected Jack’s fingers to the man, and he played a little with this newfound power. He marionetted the man into hugging her. The fearlings that had tailed along watched as Jack turned the man into a living puppet.

“Come to bed,” Jack said, mirrored by the father. “We’ll sleep a bit and take a family day.” Jack shook the strings away and rushed back to check on Pitch, but he stayed at the door when he heard him talking to the girl. His mind was racing. They had helped this family. Both of them. Pitch by bringing the girl back, and Jack by changing the father’s mind. He would tell Pitch about the new power later. For now, he wanted to praise and celebrate Pitch, really give him a reason to stick to using his powers for good.

“The fearlings will think I’ve gone soft,” Pitch said in the woods. Jack didn’t believe him at all and tried to get him to focus on the positive. But the watchful fearlings were going to report back about what they’d seen- that there was a new, powerful, vulnerable soul open to darkness and ready to be corrupted. Someone who could possibly grant them another millennium of energy and influence. They watched from the shadows as Pitch chased Jack through the woods, each casting magic back at the other. Jack skidded to a stop in a wide clearing.

“This is perfect. En garde! Magic goes this time!” Jack conjured his frozen sword and shield, dropping into a ready position.

“Very well.” Pitch summoned his nightmare scythe. “But I’m going to disarm you of that toothpick in just a few blows,” he said with the scythe on his shoulder.

“Toothpick! At least I’m not fighting with a backwards farm tool!” Jack taunted. Pitch charged this time, and they locked into battle. Jack flew around but kept himself limited to their woodsy arena. He attacked from all sides, faster than Pitch could swing his large weapon.

Whether it was the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time, someone happened upon their fight. He had been looking for Jack, worried at first by his longer-than-normal absence, and worried more when he heard from North that Jack hadn’t immediately RSVP’d to the party as usual. Bunnymund had just been about to call off his daily search when he heard the clash of two magic forces deeper in the woods. He leapt silently through the frosty grass, recognizing the fern-like spiral patterns on the trees.

“Jack,” Bunny muttered under his breath. He was going to run out to greet him when he saw Jack suddenly swing an overhead charge down at Pitch, blocked by the handle of the scythe. Pitch launched him back upwards and Jack somersaulted through the air elegantly onto a tree branch. All Bunnymund saw was his best friend in full battle with the Guardian’s biggest enemy.

“Too small!” Pitch said haughtily.

“What’s this, a measuring contest?” Jack came slashing at him, and Bunny jumped in, his only thought to help Jack defeat the boogeyman. He didn’t have time to freak out about the return of the Nightmare King- he had to protect his friend, first. Foolish Jack, facing Pitch alone, Bunnymund thought. But just like him, too. Bunny flung a boomerang out, clocking Pitch in the shoulder.

“Ow! What the-” Pitch didn’t have time to react before Bunny launched off a tree and kicked him full-force in the stomach with both feet. Jack skidded to a stop and slipped on his own snow to keep from running into Bunny as he fell back from the kick.

“Bunny!” Jack jumped back, shocked and horrified. He ran to Pitch’s side, dropping his sword. “Pitch, are you alright?” Bunny jumped up and caught his boomerang, dumbfounded as Jack knelt by Pitch’s side with a look of concern. Pitch groaned and hacked as he tried to get his wind back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jack stood up to guard Pitch as Bunny came closer.

“I was gonna ask ya the same thing, mate… What are you doing with this fellow? One second you’re fighting, the next you’re… protecting him? Where have you been the last month?”

“I…” Jack glanced back at Pitch. He stood slowly, weakened by the strong sunlight bouncing off the snow around them and tired from their earlier rescue. Jack glared at Bunny, angered to see Pitch crippled so easily without so much as a chance. “Maybe if you’d ask questions before throwing your stupid sticks around-” Jack summoned his staff from the edge of the clearing and twirled it, pointing it at Bunny. Bunny’s ears dropped back in confusion and frustration.

“Mind who you’re pointin’ that thing at. I came in to help!”

“I didn’t ask for your help! And for your information, we were sparring, not fighting.” Bunnymund had never seen Jack angry before. His normally bright, icy eyes were dark and set. Bunny saw the tell-tale red, glowing eyes of fearlings peeking out from shaded shrubs. It only took him a few seconds to connect the dots in his mind.

“What have you done to him?” Bunny gritted his teeth and pointed at Pitch. Pitch stood behind Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“A lot,” he smirked. “But nothing he didn’t agree to.” Jack’s heart raced as he realized his new normal was about to be shattered. Bunny would tell the others, for sure, and he would have to face this dreaded confrontation. “We should leave,” Pitch told Jack.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Bunnymund growled, gripping his boomerangs tightly. “I’m taking you to North so we can fix you up,” he said to Jack. Pitch had assumed Bunny was talking to him at first, but then he realized Bunny thought he had corrupted Jack. Pity, he hadn’t yet, so this attack was premature. This could be just the stake Pitch needed to drive Jack and the Guardians apart.

“I’ll go wherever I please,” Jack scoffed. “And if you won’t let me explain, then I’m leaving with Pitch.” Bunny felt like his heart was shrinking as he looked Jack up and down. He’d never seen him act this way before.

“Your eyes… Yer not my Jack Frost,” Bunny hissed. “So, I don’t feel bad about this at all.” Bunnymund jumped into action, moving faster than Jack had ever seen. He turned into a gray blur around them both, kicking up fresh powder snow. Jack tried to track him but couldn’t as the two boomerangs twirled out fast from the blur, one after the other. Pitch swung his scythe, blocking one as Jack dodged the other. Bunny scooped them both back up and crouched in a tree.

“Together,” Jack said. Pitch swung his scythe into the ground, and Jack hopped on. Bunny got ready to throw again, jumping off the branch, and Pitch swung the scythe around to give Jack momentum. Jack launched off the scythe and tackled Bunny to the ground, sealing his paws and boomerangs in ice. Bunny curled up and planted his feet on Jack’s chest, kicking him off hard. Pitch gasped and shot up to catch him before he smacked into a tree. Pitch whistled for his new wolf as Bunny broke free from the ice. Jack cast a protective layer of ice over the wolf and ran at Bunny to try to disarm him. Bunny hopped away so fast he was leaping sideways from the trunks of trees. Pitch swung at him desperately but wasn’t fast enough. Jack flew around trying to cut him off as the wolf bit the air behind Bunny’s feet, but it was more a chase than a battle. Bunny swung out both boomerangs again, tracking Jack’s flight path, and dodge-rolled across the snow to slow himself down. The boomerang came clear at the side of Jack’s head and knocked him out of the air. Jack slid across the ground and landed hard at Pitch’s feet. He groaned and passed out. Bunny stood and caught the boomerangs.

“Like I said, I’m taking Jack with me,” he told Pitch. The sight of Jack brought down by one of his own fellow Guardians hurt Pitch in more ways than one. He grew larger, summoning shadow until he was eight feet tall, and he started to open two portals to the fearlings’ rooms in Nightfall. Thinking fast, Bunny thumped two tunnels to the warren and summoned his rock giants. He leapt up on one and got ready to duke it out with Pitch, already planning his jump path across the trees, when Pitch collapsed. The bright daylight proved too much for Pitch, who had already exerted a lot of his dark power before the battle. Bunnymund considered himself lucky, since he wasn’t sure if he could have kept up that speed for much longer. He tucked away his boomerangs and pulled a small snow globe out of his satchel. He shook it up, sending a message to North.

“Mate, we got a problem…” One of North’s yetis delivered a receiver snow globe to his office. North tried to shoo him away, working on a new design for a bullet train toy, but the yeti insisted.

“Ah, look! Look what you do! Fur in my paint!” North fussed. The yeti shook the globe in his face to play the message. “What, what, what you want- oh. Bunny.” North drew away from his focus with the toys when he saw the look of worry on Bunnymund’s face. The message restarted.

“Mate, we got a problem…” The snow globe panned out as Bunny used it to show North Jack and Pitch passed out in the clearing. “Pitch has come back, and worse than that, he’s done something to Jack. I never seen ‘im act this way before. He was dark and angry, and they were fighting together. I need your help. Jack needs your help.”

“We go. Now,” North said, dropping everything. He started grabbing his coat and gear.

Bunny sat in the clearing, his thoughts too heavy to hold. He’d sent the rock giants back to the warren, but he kept a boomerang ready in case either of them woke up again. He started to blame himself for not checking in on Jack more often. The winter spirit’s biggest fear had always been loneliness, and he and the other Guardians hadn’t done much to make him feel welcome. Between the holiday responsibilities and the schedules they’d grown used to over the years, no one could keep up with Jack Frost’s tendency to seek out fun and his never-ending energy. Bunny had tried the hardest, but even he got bogged down around springtime. Jack always seemed the most depressed in spring, when people cursed the cold the most and longed for any sign of warmer weather.

“Did we drive you away…?” He asked, brushing Jack’s hair back. Then, his eyes fell on something that twisted his gut. Jack’s neck was still red from a hickey that hadn’t healed yet. He pulled the hoodie down Jack’s shoulder and found two more marks, each darker than the last. Bunny glared at Pitch. “What have you done to him?” His fuzzy fists curled, ears dropping as his anger boiled. The sound of magic and breaking glass distracted him. North came in, swords blazing, yetis at his side.

“Where is he! I strike him where he stands!” North slid his swords across each other to sharpen them.

“They’re both still down.” Bunny fixed Jack’s hoodie. He was angry, sure, but a small piece of him still hoped there was a solid explanation for all this. He wanted to believe that Jack wouldn’t fall for any of Pitch’s tricks. He’d much rather believe that Jack received those marks willingly than any other way. And, though he’d never admit it, Bunnymund knew he only had the third worst temper of the Guardians. North was the second worst, and if he saw, he wouldn’t wait for any kind of explanation.

“You said Pitch did something to Jack?” North asked, thumping over in heavy winter gear.

“I think so. Neither admitted to it, but we can’t trust him,” Bunny said, gesturing to Pitch.

“I know just what to do,” North said, eyes narrowed. He caught movement from the corner of his eye. Like a flash of lightning, he pulled a throwing knife from his coat and sent it flying after a fearling. He only barely missed, and it took off into the forest. “Yetis. Bring them back. Make sure we are not followed by his dark creatures.” The yetis grunted in understanding. “Catch me up in my office,” North told Bunny as he opened another snow globe portal.

“Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy, and have a fantastic Thanksgiving/Turkey Day however you celebrate!
> 
> Expect chapters 24 through 26 within a week!


	24. Bars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ The cat's out of the bag now ~

**Ch. 24- Bars**

He felt a throbbing in his head so heavy it seemed to bounce against the back of his eyes. Jack tried to reach up and touch his head, but his hands were locked in a single tight, metal cuff. “What kind of Frozen garbage…?” He sat up slowly and immediately collapsed back onto the cot with a long groan. The ceiling of the room he was in was high, upwards of twenty feet, and it was completely covered in heat lamps. A clattering noise told him the radiator in the corner of the room was on, too. “I’m in hell,” he moaned, rolling off the bed. He hadn’t been sweaty since his first trip to Mexico decades ago, but now he was dripping like a melting ice cream cone. The chain connecting his hands to floor dragged behind him as he kicked with his feet to slide towards a barred door. “What’s going on?” He peered around and saw two yetis, one on either side of what seemed to be a jail cell. “Never been to this part of North’s castle…” He sat up slowly, leaning against the bars. He flinched away when his cheek touched the hot metal. “Ow…”

“Jack?” Jack peered across the hall and saw that Pitch didn’t have it any better. He was kneeling in the center of his cell, looking gaunt and weak between five high-lumen spotlights, his hands also chained by a single cuff to the floor.

“Pitch!” Jack gasped. “What have they-”

“I’m just glad you’re awake. They brought us here hours ago. You had me worried.”

“I’m so sorry… I should have told them sooner, I- ow!” Jack got too close to the metal again, and this time it left a pink line across his jawbone.

“Jack,” Pitch leaned forward, concerned. One of the yetis had fallen asleep and grunted as the other woke him with an elbow. He noticed Jack was awake and went off to find North. Jack heard distant voices.

“I just hope they listen,” he told Pitch, worried. “My staff!” He looked around the room and found it was missing, but he still had the music player and speaker in his pocket.

“Be careful what you say and how you say it. They think I’ve turned you. They might not believe anything that comes out of your mouth.”

“No. Bunny knows me. We can sort this out,” Jack said. He had to say it. He had to believe Bunnymund would have his back. He felt North coming before he heard him, the heavy footsteps vibrating in the floor. He groaned as he tried to stand, feeling like his legs had turned to gelatin. He only managed to get up to his knees by the time North and Bunnymund were in front of the cells.

“Finally awake,” North sighed.

“Might have hit him a little harder than I meant to,” Bunny shrugged, running a thumb over his boomerang idly.

“North, what are you doing? This is just all, all, miscommunication. I should have talked to you guys sooner,” Jack said quickly. “It’s so hot…” he panted, finding himself exhausted just by a few sentences. “Just… just talk to Pitch…” He lost his words and slumped back on his heels, feeling like he might pass out again. One of the yetis brought North a stool, and he sat next to Jack’s cell.

“Bunnymund told me he saw you fighting Pitch in the woods near your hometown. He say he jump in to help, you start fighting him in defense of Pitch. How do we know Pitch isn’t controlling you?”

“Because I’m not that stupid,” Jack spat, his head hanging. He could only hold it up for so long. Pitch bit his lip hard to keep from reacting. “Look I… I made a…” he dropped to his side, taking shallow breaths. “Turn the heat off… please… I can’t talk to you like this…” North ran a thoughtful hand through his beard. He didn’t like watching Jack suffer, but he didn’t want to fall for any tricks either. “No! Wait…” Jack forced himself back to his knees. “Don’t. Not unless you’re gonna turn off the lights for Pitch, too.” He shook his head and swallowed hard, feeling queasy from the headache and the heat. Bunnymund looked back at Pitch, who had his eyes locked on Jack. Afraid of the worst scenario, Bunny stepped in front of him.

“If you’ve done anything to hurt Jack, I’ll beat you to death myself,” he threatened. Pitch raised a brow but otherwise didn’t respond.

“He’s not… controlling me,” Jack said between labored breaths. “I’m not explaining anything until you treat us like equals,” he hissed. North was taken aback by the darkness in Jack’s eyes, but his words stuck. He stood and went to the plugs on the wall.

“What are you doing? You turn those off, the magic barriers might not hold!” Bunny warned.

“Whether or not he is being controlled, Jack is right. We shouldn’t treat him like this.”

“Jack? No. Pitch, absolutely!” Bunny protested. North pulled the plugs on the heaters in Jack’s cell but left the lights on.

“No!” Jack shouted. His frost started to return as soon as the heaters turned off, but he wouldn’t have it. “Stop hurting him!” He gritted his teeth and pressed his face between the bars. His skin sizzled like ice on a skillet as he cried out.

“Jack, stop it!” Pitch yelled at him, yanking on the restraints. Bunny backed away, shocked by the scene. He grabbed the plugs himself and cut off the lights. Jack fell back away from the bars, trying to bite back tears from the pain. Pitch slumped in relief, moving closer to the bars. Jack slowly started to recover, the room dropping in temperature.

“Talk to us, Jack,” North urged.

“Not yet.” Jack curled in on himself, concentrating, and sent ice across every metal surface in the cell as fast as it would spread. The metal embrittled and cracked, and Jack yanked free from the cuffs. He shoulder-charged the cell door and popped the lock off. The yetis looked at North for instruction, but he had none. Jack glared at both North and Bunny, his face marked with two deep burns going down his cheeks, and he walked up to Pitch’s cell. He froze the lock open, yanked the cell door back, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him.

“Foolish little boy,” Pitch scolded as Jack sat next to him stubbornly.

“Cranky old man.” Bunny and North looked at each other, confused beyond words. “Now, I’ll talk,” Jack said, crossing his arms. Pitch barely had the energy to stay upright, but after watching Jack throw his prison-break tantrum, he forced himself to in order to maintain his dignity.

“What’s going on, mate?” Bunny asked, stepping away from the cell.

“Baby Tooth was right. Halloween night, I encouraged some kids to play haunted house. Pitch happened to be there, trying to resurface. I kept the kids away from him, and… we got to talking. I struck a deal with him. All of it was my idea. What we did to him wasn’t right,” Jack defended. “Exiling him to be eaten alive by his own nightmares? That’s cruel, regardless of what he tried to do. We should have reached out and tried to help him! Instead we just left him alone. Our deal was that he could feed off my fear instead of kids’ nightmares if he let me look for a resourceful use for his powers,” Jack explained.

“Very articulate,” Pitch praised under his breath.

“Let me get this straight,” Bunny cut in. “You made a deal with Pitch behind our backs?”

“You lied about the sighting,” North said, brow furrowing.

“Because I knew you would flip out like this!” Jack stood, pointing an accusatory hand at them. “You might have made me a Guardian, but none of you ever really trusted me. You just let me do my own thing while you did yours. I brought up Pitch once- once! At one of our meetings, and you acted like I dropped an f-bomb in an elementary classroom. I have never agreed with how our battle ended. But none of you would listen. You didn’t give me a say.” Jack turned away. He’d never been this angry before, and never for this long, either. It was a heavy, hot, sickly feeling that he didn’t really know how to deal with. North and Bunny were struggling to find words. They’d never seen Jack this upset; North didn’t even know it was possible for Jack to get angry like this. He’d only ever seen mild irritation and frustration. Regardless, neither liked the idea of working with Pitch. He was tricky, shady, and always scheming up some new way to return the world to darkness. The thought terrified them both. Pitch withheld the urge to sap from their fear. They weren’t children, but he still refused to break the deal.

“That’s where you’ve been the past month and a half?” Bunny asked. “With Pitch?”

“Month and a… wait. What day is it?” Jack turned back around.

“Is December the sixteenth. Christmas is just over a week away,” North said.

“Has it really been that long…?” He glanced at Pitch, who just shrugged. He hadn’t actually realized the passage of time, either. “We weren’t really keeping track of time. I thought it was only... November...”

“That’s why I was out lookin’ for ya,” Bunny said. “North said you never responded to his invitation. You love the Christmas party. And the weather’s been weirdly warm, so I knew something was up.” Jack was a little comforted by the fact that they hadn’t forgotten about him. It relieved him to know if he went missing, the Guardians would go looking for him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But this is exactly why I didn’t.” Jack stepped away from the door. “Now, are you gonna let him go? We need to get back to work. We had a bit of a breakthrough… yesterday? This morning?” He looked at Pitch.

“Clearly, I can’t keep track of time,” Pitch shook his head.

“Net,” North said.

“What’s that? Millennial-speak for not-yet?” Jack scoffed. North enunciated this time.

“Nyet means no,” he said, placing a new, heavier, magic lock on Pitch’s cell. “Christmas is too close. I can’t risk it.”

“Wait, I’m sorry, you’re gonna keep us both in here because you’re afraid we’ll ruin Christmas?” Jack put his hands on the bars and then flinched back right before North slammed his thick, tattooed forearm on the cell door.

“You see this? Is Naughty list. You’re back on it. You’re not acting completely like Jack Frost we know. I not risk it. Not until after Christmas.”

“You’re completely ridiculous! Pitch isn’t controlling me! I did all of it!” Jack said, hands on his chest.

“I will not risk what happened to Easter three years ago! Pitch was one child away from reclaiming the world with darkness.” North gave Bunny a sympathetic look. Bunny’s ears dropped with the memory of crushed eggs and hopes. “I cannot trust,” North growled, “and that is end of it.” Jack backed away from the door, shocked and heartbroken.

“So, that’s it. I came clean. I told you the truth. I did everything I thought was right. And you won’t trust me.”

“It’s not you, Jack.”

“Sure it’s not.” Jack turned his back on North and sat in the furthest corner of the cell. North walked away, hiding his face. Bunnymund lingered, staring at the white frost-cap in the corner.

“Jack… I really didn’t mean to hit you so hard. But you didn’t see the look in your eyes. I… don’t think you’re all there, either,” he admitted.

“You’re not wearing the friendship bracelet I made you,” Jack scolded, not turning to look at him.

“I… lost it… during tunnel construction,” Bunny admitted.

“Oh. Well. Guess I’m not the only one hiding things.” Bunny’s lips curled back. Stubborn and childish as ever, he thought, bounding away down the hall. The yetis looked down the hall, then at each other, and assumed their posts by Pitch’s cell. Pitch waited a few more minutes before letting himself collapse to the floor with a sigh of relief.

“Pitch.” Jack went over and froze the cuffs until they broke open. Pitch rubbed his hands together.

“My valiant little sprite,” he smirked. “I didn’t need you standing up for me, but it was quite entertaining.”

“Are you okay?”

“Just drained… I need to rest. I’m sorry about your friends. We can leave as soon as I’m rested.”

“I think… they might come around… I kind of want to play along. See if I can talk some sense into Tooth or Sandy.”

“I don’t think you should stay that long. If the Man in the Moon finds out you’re working with me, he won’t take too kindly to it.”

“Then he can shove it, too,” Jack scoffed. “I’ll find someone who’ll listen. Until then… being locked up with you isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“Very well,” Pitch yawned. “Before I fall asleep, can you smash those lights? I’d hate for them to turn it all back on again.”

“O’course,” Jack chuckled, getting to work. He relieved some icy anger on the spotlights and threw all the trash in the hall. The yetis grumbled as they cleaned it up and Jack raspberried at them. He sat on Pitch’s cot and pulled his knees up to his chest. What had North and Bunny been on about, anyway? Darkness in his eyes. ‘Not all there.’ Nonsense. They were looking for any reason they could not to trust Pitch, Jack decided. Maybe ten days in a cell would prove them wrong.

Bunnymund went back to the Warren. He wanted to think things over by himself. Jack was working with Pitch, willingly it seemed. And beyond that, those marks told Bunny they were even closer than Jack was letting on. He hopped through his new tunnels with desperation and guilt, searching for the bracelet Jack had made him. It was a gift at their first Christmas Party with Jack, with a note about ‘new beginnings’ or something like that. He spent hours in the tunnels, searching through packed dirt and crevices until all he could smell were worms and roots. He crouched down and covered his head, working to control both tears and a big, thumping foot.

“I’m sorry, mate… I should have been there for you. Maybe you wouldn’t have felt lonely enough to go to someone like him.”


	25. Classy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is up my fantastic Frost fans! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HITS AND KUDOS AND COMMENTS!!!

**Ch. 25- Classy**

Pitch was out so hard Jack was able to move him to the cot without waking him. He spent his first couple hours in captivity running through shuffle on the music player, one earbud hanging out so he could hear if anyone came down the hall. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck out. It was a good thing Pitch had encouraged him to practice without the staff during several of their training sessions:

_“Why would I need to practice that? You already broke my staff once, and I put it back together.”_

_“I hope you’re not trying to invoke guilt or pity. And what if someone takes the staff from you?”_

_“I can summon it back to me.” Jack held his hand out, and the staff flew into his palm obediently._

_“You should be ready for any contingency.” Pitch dropped into shadow and popped back up behind Jack. He tried an obscuring spell and made Jack’s staff disappear with a simple touch._

_“Hey!” Jack grasped at the air and tried to summon his staff back again. “What did you do with it!”_

_“I’ll give it back. But if I can do that, don’t you think it might be useful to know how to cast without it? I think you’re holding yourself back.”_

_“Fine.”_

Jack smiled gratefully at the sleeping figure on the cot. Pitch had encouraged him many times to perfect and expand his talents, and the training had led to the discovery of so many new powers he’d never even imagined. At almost anything Jack attempted, if it involved cold or fun, he found success.

“Time to practice.” Jack tried casting shots of frost and flake through the bars of the cell, but every time his magic disappeared, and the lock glowed. Jack reached around and through the bars for a better look at the new lock. It seemed impervious to simple magic. He wondered why North hadn’t started with that lock, but then, Jack was also used to being underestimated. He tried summoning his staff inside the cell. Normally, he could tell how long it was going to take for the staff to travel to him, but now he couldn’t feel it at all. He stuck his hands through the bars and tried to summon the staff again, but the magic barrier sent him flying back into the far wall of the cell. The yetis seemed content ignoring him. Jack sat up and flipped through to Pitch’s playlist of classical and opera. He walked up to the wall opposite Pitch’s cot and conjured a dartboard of ice. He floated up into the air, sitting cross-legged, and shot little ice darts at the board. “Has it been ten days yet?” He groaned.

North sent messages to Toothiana and Sandman summarizing the events. He tried to keep it short and neutral but urgent. He felt like he would need all the Guardians to help break Jack free from Pitch’s grasp.

“We need you, Manny,” North said to the moon in a painting in his office. “We failed Jack Frost. He needs you.” North knew it would be a little while before the moon aligned and he would have a chance to reach out to Manny, so better to call on the others for reinforcement. He went back to his workshop to perfect the bullet train, but his inspiration was gone. “Jack was going to be the best of us…,” he said to the elves. “He didn’t need children’s belief to use his powers and protect the young ones. He needed us. And we weren’t there.” One of the elves patted North’s boot sympathetically.

After a few hours of letting Pitch sleep, Jack had gotten more into his music and couldn’t contain himself anymore. He had a microphone made from ice and was jamming around the small cell. He walked across the walls and ceiling with his eyes closed, pretending he was on a concert stage.

“What set you free, I need you here by me, because- In the midnight hour! She cried more, more, more! With a rebel yell! She cried more, more, more! In the midnight hour, babe, more, more, more! With a rebel yell more, more, more!” One of the yetis grunted loudly and covered his ears as if to say no more, more, more. Pitch pretended to sleep until the end of Jack’s jam session.

“They might kick us out you keep that up,” he said. Jack jumped.

“Hey, you’re awake,” he smiled. “How are you feeling?” Jack floated over and perched on a thin column of ice since he didn’t have his staff to perch on.

“Like I spent too long in the sun… every inch of my skin is sore,” Pitch groaned as he sat up. His eyes filled with concern as he looked over Jack’s deep, striped burns. “You shouldn’t have done that…” He rubbed Jack’s cheek with a gentle knuckle, careful not to touch the burns. They ran straight down from his eyes like war paint. Jack looked to the side.

“It’s not that bad. It’ll heal. I was just making a point.” Silence fell as Pitch admired Jack. He could feel some of the turmoil boiling inside the sprite, but his strong spirit hadn’t broken yet. Their cell was full of things Jack had conjured to pass the time, and Pitch found himself smiling at the creativity of some of his toys. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it a day, let alone ten,” Jack said, following Pitch’s gaze.

“Nonsense, we do this every day. We’re just working with a smaller space now.”

“Not much choice, anyway… North put a stronger lock on the door. I can’t get any magic through, and I can’t feel my staff.”

“Told you you’d need the practice.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Training not wasted.” He hopped down from the column and started cleaning up his mess, making the ice and frost evaporate into the air. Jack stretched his arms out and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Pitch recognized his body language and stood.

“Your turn to sleep. Come on.” He patted the cot.

“I’m fine. I want to be awake in case North called the others here.” Pitch wasn’t strong enough to summon anything yet, but he didn’t need much strength to pick Jack up. “Hey!” Pitch placed him on the cot.

“Rest. I’ll wake you if someone comes.” Jack frowned, but as he set his head down, he felt sleep creeping over him quickly. He got out half a yawn before passing out. Pitch sat on the cot carefully next to him. He was not looking forward to the next few interactions. Even without manipulating the situation, Pitch knew Jack was about to find out what the Guardians really thought of him. He stroked Jack’s hair with a solemn face. He could feel it- the Guardians were all afraid of Jack’s power and abilities. He was the strongest of them all, even if he didn’t fully realize it. “People always fear what they don’t understand… what they can’t control.”

Toothiana’s fairies all felt her sadness when she read the message from North. She started to dwell and overthink, wishing she had acted on her feelings weeks ago. She should have believed Baby Tooth. She should have made more time when Bunnymund came and shared his concern. She looked at the globe full of the glowing lights of children. Sandman kept their belief strong with his dreams, but since Jack had joined them, every light he visited shined even brighter. Jack could be with the children year-round, during the day, strengthening their belief. He had made it his own mission to seek out children who were struggling to believe and reignite their sense of fun and magic. Tooth ran a hand across one of the bars of the globe. Pitch had come so close to beating them last time. He had kidnapped all but one of her fairies, stolen the memories of children, absorbed Sandman and corrupted the dream sand, and he had destroyed Easter. She felt herself curling up in fear and sadness as she hovered with the slowly spinning globe. It made sense that, after they had all underestimated Jack’s power, Pitch’s new plan would involve bringing down that bright light. She adored Jack. He reminded her of the pure-hearted friends she used to have in her childhood village long ago. One of her MiniFairies came up and nuzzled away a falling tear.

“Jack needs our help,” she told the fairy. “I’ll need you all working overtime to keep up the charge while I’m gone,” she said to the crowd of buzzing wings. She concentrated for a moment and split in two, cloning herself. Tooth shrank a little, both her and her new clone each about a foot shorter than her normal self. “Listen to me while I’m gone!” She told the girls. The clone saluted and hugged her. Tooth packed a small bag and then took off for North’s Workshop.

Sandman received North’s message and started to lose control of some of his dream sand strings as he read it. By the end of the letter, he sat on his golden sand cloud, not inspiring any dreams at all. Jack meant the world to him. His job had never been easier with Jack inspiring fun in the minds of children across the world. He felt strongly drawn to Jack, like he was an energetic little sibling or cousin. Sandman’s fists clenched tightly. Pitch had known last time to come after him, since Sandy’s dreams kept the children of the world believing in Hope and Wonder. This time, Pitch had targeted Jack, Sandy thought. He was the newest and brightest light in the Guardians’ alliance, restoring belief every second of the day through frost and fun. Sandman had always felt like there was something even more special about Jack than they all realized, but he couldn’t place it- like the memory of a dream slipping away as you woke. Pitch obviously wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last time, underestimating Jack and leaving him off on his own. No, this time, it seemed Pitch was trying more manipulative tactics on their most powerful and vulnerable asset.

Sandman looked up. He always followed the dark side of the moon, helping bring light to children when they didn’t have the full moon to guide them. Sandman flew up into the sky and projected the message and his thoughts to the Man in the Moon, symbols flying over his head as fast as his sand could move. The Man in the Moon said nothing, but the quick glint of light that crossed the surface told Sandman that he’d been heard. He reached into his cloud for handfuls of sand and sprinkled it behind him as he started heading for North’s Workshop.

Bunnymund didn’t return to The Workshop until the next day. He had taken this development the hardest. Pitch had taken so much from him that he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Jack to Pitch as well. North greeted him silently when he arrived. Elves passed around trays of cookies and eggnog as the Guardians gathered in the globe room, spilling some here and there.

“Thank you for telling us, North,” Tooth said, breaking the silence.

“Yes. It is a shame we gather under these circumstances, but it’s nice to see you all early this year. I have rooms made up already, and the yetis are willing to help out while you’re here.”

“I’ve got my end covered,” Tooth said.

“I was wondering why you were smaller,” Bunny said, crouched on the floor as he scratched his ear with his foot. “And I’m fine, too, North. My holiday is still a-ways away.”

“And you, Sandy? Sandy?” North looked around. Sandman had fallen asleep hovering again, and he shook himself awake again. “I know it is still a dark moon in most places, so I’m sorry to call you away.” Sandman held his hand up to signal that he’d left some good dreams behind as he traveled. “Right. According to the guards, neither Jack nor Pitch have made an attempt to escape. However we approach this, we do it together, and we do it carefully.”

“Actually, North, um… I think we should do it separately. Having too many of us,” Tooth said as she flitted around nervously, “it might intimidate Jack. He needs to be reminded that he’s one of us. It can’t look like us against him.”

“She’s got a good point,” Bunny agreed. “So, who’s going to talk to them first?”

“Bunny?” North suggested. “You and Jack became very close over the last few years.”

“I can’t yet, mate… you know how I feel about Pitch.” He looked solemnly at the floor. “You put me anywhere near them right now, and I might try to kill him,” he said seriously.

“Maybe I will go down first,” North said. “Give you all chance to rest and think about what to say.”

“That sounds good, North,” Tooth agreed, putting a hand on his shoulder. Sandy nodded. He gave a few symbols- a skull, a question mark, a crescent moon, and a sad face- to show his frustration.

“The next full moon isn’t until after Christmas,” North said. “We will have to wait to hear from Manny. I have to get back to work,” he excused himself. Tooth floated over to Bunny.

“Let’s find our rooms,” she said gently, trying to get him to stand.

“I can’t believe any of this…” Bunny stood and followed her. Sandman tagged along quietly behind them. “Jack knows what Pitch has done in the past. I told him. Why would he ever side with Pitch?”

“I don’t know, Bunny. But we’ll help him. We have to.”

Later that day…

Jack didn’t rest for long. In proximity to the Guardians, outside of Castle Nightfall, he recharged his energy much faster than Pitch could, and he refused to stay in bed.

“That’s it! Get into it!” Jack turned the music up even louder on the speaker as the elves crowded in front of the cell. The yetis were careful not to move since the floor was covered in elves dancing to Jack’s music. Pitch sat in the far corner, his face covered slightly. Jack had his ice microphone again, singing to Avril Lavigne as the elves clapped along.

“Love hurts whether it’s right or wroooong!” Jack belted. “I can’t stop! Cuz I’m having too much fun!” His voice and the music echoed down the halls. Pitch thought he wasn’t a terrible singer before, but after a day of boredom, he was already getting better. He watched Jack dance across the room, walk across the ceiling, and shake the bars. It started snowing in the cell again as Jack lost himself to the music again. Small explosions of frost went off like miniature fireworks to the heavy beat. “All my life I been good but now! Oh- I’m thinking what! The hell! All I want is to mess around! And I don’t really care about- if you love me! If you hate me! You can save me, baby, baby!” One of the yetis was tapping his foot to the music when the other one groaned loudly, wishing it would stop. He elbowed the other yeti to make him stop dancing. The dancing yeti grunted back, trying to enjoy himself. “Whoo! Ah, let’s see what’s next on the shuffle…,” Jack said, flipping through songs. He decided on P!nk, but as he sang the first line, the speaker died. “Nooooo!” Pitch couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.

“What a pity.”

“My music,” he whined, dropping to his knees. The elves also groaned in disappointment. One threw his bugle to the floor in irritation. “Sorry, guys…” The grumpy yeti sighed in relief. “Now what?” He looked over at Pitch. Before he could respond, the elves started running down the hall, and Jack’s gaze followed them. “Where are they going?” They were running from North to get back to work before he saw all of them. He had given specific orders for the elves not to visit Jack and Pitch, but they couldn’t help themselves when they’d heard the music.

“Glupyye el’fy,” North muttered as he pulled up a stool and sat next to the cell again.

“Aw, they’re not stupid,” Jack said, leaning on the bars. North had forgotten about his burns and was a little shocked at the sight. “They’re cute.” One peeked out from behind the yeti’s foot, and then tripped on his own dangling hat as he tried to run. “Okay, they’re a little stupid.” North had thought about what he wanted to say the whole walk down, but suddenly the words were gone. Jack let the silence hang for a moment. He turned away and cleared his snow and ice again to give North more time.

“I thought I would know what to say,” North started. “But maybe I just need you to talk some more.”

“I already told you how I feel. I want you to release Pitch. We weren’t doing anything wrong.” Jack conjured his own little stool of ice and perched on it instead of sitting so he could bounce lightly when he was restless.

“I can’t do that, Jack.”

“I know, I know, you’re worried about Christmas. But, uh, who’s gonna give kids a white Christmas if I’m in here?” He negotiated.

“You are not a bargaining chip for Pitch. You ask, and I will let you out. But not him.” He pointed, and Pitch only looked at him for half a second, seeming disinterested.

“Maybe you should have humans market a tropical Christmas, then. You could have palm trees instead of pines!” Jack grinned. “And cactuses, with those little chili pepper lights! Still red and green.”

“Jack, I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.”

“Oh, you could give summer-themed gifts! Like pool inflatables and sunblock!” Jack tilted his stool back and forth, laughing.

“Jack Frost!” North shouted. Jack grabbed his stool and stopped rocking. “Let me bring you out. Show me you’re not attached to Pitch. Please.”

“Even if I came out, you would still think he had control over me. You’re only gonna hear what you want to hear. I have no way to prove that he’s not controlling me, and you refuse to listen. Pitch has changed, North,” Jack pleaded, standing and holding the bars. “I know what he’s done in the past. I know. But anyone can be forgiven, right?” He reached out through the bars carefully and placed his hand on North’s tattoo of the Naughty List. “Like how you did with me. You convinced the others I was worthy of being a Guardian. Heck, you convinced me! I didn’t want anything to do with being a Guardian at first!”

“I remember,” North said quietly.

“Bunny hated me,” Jack laughed. “But you got them to see that I could be something else.”

“No, Jack,” North said. “You did that yourself. You earned our trust, but now you’re making us question it.”

“I really thought…” Jack dropped his head. “I really thought if anyone could move towards forgiveness, it would be you. I thought you could see the Wonder in anything.” North looked at both Jack and Pitch.

“Pitch Black has no wonder,” he said with a narrow-eyed glare and then stormed off. Jack stood at the bars, arms hanging through them. He sniffled quietly and wiped his face, careful of the burns, before turning back to Pitch.

“… Jack-” Pitch started.

“Guardians, 1. Jack, 0,” he said, casting an ice scoreboard on the wall. “Seems like they’re going to come down individually. Maybe I’ll have better luck with someone else.” Jack rolled onto the floor and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. Pitch got up and leaned over Jack.

“I appreciate you trying so hard, but I don’t think they’re going to come around. We should work on getting out of here.”

“Not yet. If the worst case happens and I don’t get any of them to trust us, our timing has to be perfect. We have to get out while North is delivering presents and prove that we mean no harm to the children or the holidays.”

“I suppose that could work,” Pitch nodded. He sat next to Jack and placed a hand on his chest. “That’s… an awful long time… to wait, though,” he said with a growing smirk as he ran his hand down Jack’s body. Jack bit a smile back and curled up to cover himself.

“Watch it,” he chuckled. “We can wait it out.”

“I don’t know… part of the deal was that you’d never deny my hunger,” Pitch said, mouth hanging open in a smug smile.

“Different circumstances.”

“I might get hungry before our remaining nine days are up,” he said, using a long, sharp nail to scratch a line into the wall.

“Then I’ll guess you’ll have to nightmare me,” Jack said.

“Pity,” Pitch said, leaning down closer to Jack. He looked at the sprite’s lips then back up at his icy blue eyes. Jack’s breath hitched and his lips parted, wanting. Pitch inched closer. “You should…,” his eyes closed, “have asked…,” his words ghosted against Jack’s lips, “North to charge your speaker.” He sat up and went back to the cot, leaving Jack flustered and flush on the floor. Jack let out a long-held breath with a huff and sat up, glaring at Pitch. “What’s wrong, Jack?”

“Tease…”

“Well, we wouldn’t want anyone walking in on that, now would we?” He grinned. “Have some class.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh~ spicy Pitch! What do you think will happen next? Drop me a comment- I love to hear your theories and feedback!
> 
> For canon backstory, here is the Wiki link to Toothiana:  
> https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/Toothiana  
> ^here you can find her Guardians of Childhood origin story under Background, and further down the page, you can read about her magic under Powers and Abilities.  
> The main change I've made is that not all MiniFairies are an extension of Tooth- instead, she splits herself into a clone and most of the Minis are separate entities.
> 
> Additionally, in what I've written, Bunnymund has the worst feelings towards Pitch, with good reason. His book-based backstory is here on his Wiki: https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/E._Aster_Bunnymund  
> If you read just before the Powers and Abilities section, you'll find that because of Pitch, Bunny is the last of his kind.
> 
> Songs included: "Rebel Yell" - Billy Idol and "What the Hell" - Avril Lavigne  
> Next post will be before the week is out~


	26. Pissed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we're almost at 50 comments and a <> and ***1400*** hits! Thanks so much, as usual, and here's a new chapter to kick off the weekend early~

**Ch. 26- Pissed**

Toothiana finally worked up the courage to face Jack and Pitch. She had a well-rehearsed speech and was confident she could get Jack to leave the cell, even after hearing how frustrated North had been after his visit. She remembered very clearly when Jack’s baby teeth had been collected. Tooth herself had come to pick up his upper right lateral incisor and canine after a particularly rough snowball fight that day had sent him tumbling down a rocky hill and into a tree. Without those kinds of memories, Jack never would have seen his Guardian qualities shine through. She flitted down the hall with his tooth capsule in hand, hoping she could call on a memory to remind him who he was and pull him back away from Pitch.

Pitch heard the familiar buzzing of fairy wings. He looked at Jack, currently fast asleep. Though he’d said earlier he would wake Jack whenever someone came down, he no longer wanted to disturb him. Jack needed as much sleep as he could get to help pass the time, otherwise the restless spirit would lose his mind in their small cell. Pitch stood. He had most wanted it to be Bunnymund, since he would be easy to provoke, and had least wanted it to be Sandman, who gave him a proper beating pretty much every time they crossed paths. But the wings gave away his visitor long before she was visible. Pitch knew the starry-eyed half-breed would much prefer to talk to Jack, but he decided he wouldn’t wake him unless she asked directly. He was waiting at the door when she arrived. Tooth, in all her careful rehearsing, had not been prepared to speak to Pitch first.

“Um. Hi. Is- is Jack awake?” She asked, hovering nervously from one spot to another, looking around the cell.

“Hello.” Pitch was a bit put-off by her lack of manners. Even after everything, he still believed he deserved the minimal respect of a proper greeting. “He is not. Had an exhausting day putting on a concert for the elves.”

“Oh. Well. Um.”

“You’re smaller than I remember,” Pitch noted. Tooth backed away from the cell door as Pitch tilted his head to get a better look through the bars.

“I, um, I had to split so the girls would have enough help with the teeth collecting,” she explained.

“Ah, that ever-useful power to be in more than one place at the same time,” Pitch nodded. “Must take quite the toll on someone like you.”

“Someone… like me?” She landed to give her wings a break, but she didn’t like how far she had to look up at Pitch.

“Well, I just mean, you’re not pure-blooded fairy. Magic must take a toll on you.”

“Where are you going with this?” She crossed her arms.

“My apologies. I assumed since you were being rude when you flew down here that I had every right to be rude back,” he said with a haughty smirk. “Fear shouldn’t stop you from having manners.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” She flew back up to be level with him.

“Right. There’s a magic barrier between us,” he said, pointing to the lock and the bars, “and I can still feel fear dripping off you like cold sweat.”

“I came down here to talk to Jack,” Tooth said firmly.

“But you got me, instead. I would have been here anyway. What were you going to say to him?” He grinned as he pried at her.

“I…” Tooth had lost her words. She couldn’t remember how her motivational speech went at all now. “I knew I should have written it down,” she fussed, flying in little circles.

“This is his point, you know. None of you will ever trust me. And because of that, you don’t even trust one of your own kind.” He folded his hands behind his back. “It doesn’t seem to have occurred to any of you that Jack could be telling the truth.”

“We can’t trust you! You’ve destroyed so much… and enjoyed it all the while,” Tooth glowered. Pitch shrugged and shifted back and forth restlessly.

“Jack Frost is the only person who has ever gotten me to believe that darkness and fear have good qualities. And you can trust when I say this: if I were controlling him, we wouldn’t be in this cell right now,” he said, leaning close to the bars again, his eyes glowing golden. Tooth frowned and looked away, deep in thought. She glanced at Jack.

“Could you just wake him?” She asked. Pitch stayed still. “Please?” He nodded and went over to Jack.

“Frost. You have a visitor.” He shook Jack’s shoulder lightly and pulled the thin blanket back. Jack groaned and sat up, his hair a wild mess.

“Mm? Who’s that…?”

“The Tooth Fairy,” Pitch said, collecting himself into the darkness of the corner. Jack stretched and got up.

“Hey, Tooth,” he smiled. Tooth gasped and flew back several inches when Jack approached the bars and she saw his burns.

“What happened to your-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said, rubbing his eyes. “I’m happy to see you.”

“I’m… happy to see you, too, Jack,” she said, landing and walking up.

“You’re… shorter…?” Jack said, sticking a hand out through the bars marking where he thought Tooth would normally reach. He stifled a yawn.

“Don’t worry about it,” she repeated back to him. “I have something for you,” she said quickly.

“We’re giving gifts? Is it Christmas already? That would be good. Would mean a lot of time passed.”

“No, you can’t have your Christmas gift yet,” she hovered up and poked his nose. “Here.” She pulled out his tooth capsule. Jack smiled fondly.

“I’ve already seen it. But thank you.”

“I know, but I thought maybe you could use them again. Remind you… who you are.” Jack frowned as she held it out closer to him. He pushed it back through the bars, pushing her back gently with it.

“I know who I am. I am the Guardian of Fun, protector of children, Old Man Winter!" He threw his arms up with a big smile, just for a moment, before dropping them and giving her a serious look. "Jackson. Overland. Frost.” He stepped back from the bars. “I haven’t forgotten. I remember my human life as a boy, and I remember everything since then. I remember the oath I took, and I remember how hard we fought to make sure Pitch didn’t drown the world in darkness a few years ago. What none of you seem to remember is that I was there for it,” he said, his tone getting heavier. “And I don’t just remember our side. I remember that Pitch was chased off by dark, powerful Night Mares, and he disappeared for a long while.” Jack’s intensity increased. “I remember worrying that he was trapped in darkness somewhere. I was afraid that he would come back and threaten children again, but after a while, I became afraid of something else. We chose to forget that he’s a person, too. No one deserves to be exiled to darkness and isolation, not even Pitch.”

Tooth definitely hadn’t planned on the encounter going like this at all. She had imagined Jack opening the capsule, getting lost in a happy memory, and snapping out of whatever trance Pitch had him in. She imagined that she would open the cell herself, and Jack would come flying out with a big, cold hug just for her, and he would do something icy and silly to Pitch for trying to trick them. All those fantasies were dashed as she looked into Jack’s eyes. North and Bunny were right. His eyes were different. Darker. Deeper. Older. His tone was different. His words were heavy with a lot of emotion behind them.

“Jack, I didn’t mean to insult you… I just wanted to bring back some good memories,” she urged.

“I could be making new good memories if just one of you would believe in me,” Jack said, grabbing the bars again. They started to frost up at his anxious touch.

“I do believe in you, Jack… but… this isn’t you. This is Pitch. I know you. You’re… different right now.”

“Not you, too!” Jack let go of the bars and paced around the cell in frustration, frost following his footsteps. “There is nothing different about me! I am the same person I’ve always been!” Pitch formed out of the shadows and stopped him from pacing.

“Calm down, Jack. Like you said, they see what they want to see.” Jack hugged Pitch tightly to hide his face. Pitch looked over to see betrayal on Tooth’s face as he placed one hand on Jack’s back and one on his head. “You can’t make someone believe,” he told Jack while looking Tooth dead in the eye. “They have to come to it themselves,” he smirked at her. Tooth covered her mouth, eyes watering, and darted away as fast as her wings would carry her. Jack held on for a moment longer and then let go of Pitch.

“2, 0,” he said as he fixed the icy scoreboard that still hung near the cot.

“They have the home advantage,” Pitch joked lightly. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I can’t believe she could look me in the eye and think you, like, hypnotized me or something. Of course I’m acting different! They’re startin’ to really tick me off!” He threw his hands out.

“I mean, it’s not like you to be angry. At least not for long.” Pitch sat on the cot, leaning against the wall.

“I don’t need my memories. I can remember things just fine now,” Jack scoffed. “You know what I do need?” He plopped down next to Pitch. “A good drink.” Pitch was surprised.

“You drink?”

“On occasion. I mean, I spent most of my time in all the countries that touch the Arctic Circle, and every single one of them was populated with people who believed alcohol kept you warm. I tried plenty of it, and I didn’t feel any warmth. I did learn that it takes a lot to get me to drunk compared to humans.”

“Now I really wish we weren’t here. I’d love to see what you’re like drunk.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You’d think I’d be calm, right? No way. Off the walls a thousand times harder.” Jack spread his hands out in warning.

“Depends on the type of drink. You could get really pissed off, say, whiskey, and be meditative with wine.”

“Well, I don’t tend to get ‘pished,’” Jack teased at his slang, “but when I do, it’s more like I have no limitations.”

“Again, I need to see it,” Pitch said. He wrapped an arm around Jack. “Why don’t you try to get back to sleep? I caught a peek at a clock out there. It’s late. We’re not even really on day two of confinement yet.”

“This is taking forever,” Jack groaned. “Wake me up when it’s over…” He turned his face into Pitch’s side and took deep breaths until he fell asleep again. Pitch leaned his head back against the wall, smiling as he replayed the look on Tooth’s face over and over again in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! As always, your comments and kudos are much appreciated- I read everything, and I love hearing what you all think about the story as it develops! Happy Friday Eve~


	27. Bring Me A Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly longer chapter to start the week off right!

**Ch. 27- Bring Me a Dream**

“Checkmate.”

“I liked big chess better,” Jack complained as he knocked his ice king over. “I felt like I was actually in it.”

“I believe that was four in a row,” Pitch said, leaning back. Jack had made the chessboard and table, and Pitch’s shadows provided the chairs. “What shall we do now?” Jack sighed and looked around, scraping his mind for more ideas. His eyes fell on the speaker. His music player had died, too, so he couldn’t even listen on the headphones. He got up and grabbed the player and speaker, then he held them out through the bars.

“I know you didn’t like my singing, but I would really, really appreciate it if you found a way to charge these,” Jack said to the yetis. They looked at each other and seemed to bicker gruffly back and forth. “Pretty please?” Jack pleaded. “I’ll let you pick some of the songs.” He gave the yetis the biggest, poutiest eyes he could manage. The yeti who had been dancing yesterday snatched it up in his big, fuzzy hands with a grunt. The other yeti groaned and grumbled. “Hey, big man. What’s your name?” Jack asked as the yeti with the speaker left. The remaining guard turned back and huffed. “What, are you not allowed to talk to me?” Jack walked closer and poked him through the bars. The yeti grumbled and moved away. “C’monnnnn. Look, I don’t speak yeti, but you can at least tell me your name and I’ll try to pronounce it right. If you don’t tell me, I’ll guess. Mark. Stephen? Furball!” The yeti ignored him.

“I don’t think yetis can actually speak, Jack,” Pitch said with scoffing laugh, trying to egg the yeti into interacting with Jack. It worked. The yeti looked back at Pitch and growled, and then he looked at Jack. He pointed at himself.

“Braugh,” he grunted.

“Bruuuaaagwwwh?” Jack enunciated, trying really hard not to laugh.

“Braugh.”

“Braugh?” Jack got close enough, and the yeti nodded. “Okay. And what about your friend? The one with my music. What’s his name?” The yeti didn’t speak for a moment, and then looked at Jack again. He pointed down the hall the direction the other yeti had gone.

“Urrnnng,” he grunted.

“Urg?” Jack tried. Pitch covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Urrnnng,” the yeti repeated, louder.

“I think I got it,” Jack grinned. Pitch drew Jack into an inquisitive conversation about languages until the other guard returned. Jack jumped up. “Hey! Thank you, Urrnngg!” He tried to pronounce. Braugh made a loud, gruff roar and pointed at the other yeti who stood in offended shock. Jack looked back and forth as the other yeti approached the bars grunting and growling in irritation. He seemed to be threatening to smash the speaker. “Whoa, whoa! Is my accent bad?” Braugh kept huffing and grunting as though he were laughing.

“I believe you may have been tricked into insulting him,” Pitch smirked.

“Oh, man… that’s… I’m sorry,” Jack snickered. “He told me it was your name!” He pointed at Braugh, who stopped laughing suddenly. The other yeti handed the speaker and music player back with a deadpanned face and then tackled Braugh to the ground. Jack laughed as they brawled on the floor. He didn’t hear who was coming down the hall over the fighting yetis as he checked the charge on the player and the speaker. “We are back in business,” he grinned.

“What you do to the yetis!” North accused. Jack jumped at his booming voice and whipped around.

“I didn’t do anything. I asked their names, and I think one of them had me insult the other one,” Jack said, still smiling. North scolded the guards in quick, deep Russian, and Jack couldn’t keep up with what he was saying. “It was just a silly joke.”

“This one is Braugh, and this one is Gurnth,” North pointed to each yeti. “What did he tell you to call him?”

“Urnng,” Jack chuckled at the noise he made. North ran a hand over his face and down into his beard.

“Is similar to calling him idiot, it translates to one-who-eats-yellow-snow,” North explained. Jack fell back laughing. North observed as Pitch shook his head, smiling fondly at Jack’s antics. “I came down to check on you. Are you… hungry…?” He offered, a little at a loss for words.

“Just bored,” Jack said as he calmed and sat up. “Am I still invited to the party?” He asked.

“Of course,” North nodded.

“Am I allowed a plus-one?” He grinned.

“Jack,” North warned.

“What? You can’t blame me for trying.” Pitch sat back down in the shadow chair and started stacking chess pieces in a pyramid. “Can we have a second cot? Or a real bed?”

“I am having a different room prepared for you. Sandy is helping with magic barriers, and as soon as he’s done, he’s going to escort you both to the new room.” Pitch looked over and sneered as his pyramid collapsed. “You have problem with that?” North asked Pitch.

“As long as Jack is happy, I am content,” Pitch avoided the question. He drew up close to the bars suddenly, a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “But let me make it very clear that if he manages to get hurt again, I will not stand helpless and watch next time.” Jack looked off to the side and brushed a few fingers over one of his burn marks. North didn’t like Pitch touching Jack so freely.

“What are the odds you let us out in time for me to make some white Christmases?” Jack said quickly to distract North.

“I repeat myself. You can go whenever you please,” North said. “Pitch cannot leave before Christmas.” Jack made a disappointed fart noise.

“Whatever.”

“Sandy should be around soon.” North walked off, hanging his head.

“You should go, Jack,” Pitch said, turning away and staring at the far wall. “Leave me here, go have some fun, stretch your limbs, and come back.” Jack grabbed his arm.

“No. How would you say it,” he mimicked Pitch’s accent, “it’s a matter of principle.” He dropped the accent and walked in front of Pitch, holding his forearms together insecurely. “I want them to believe in me. To trust us.”

“It’s not going to happen.” Pitch pulled away and sank into the shadow under the cot.

“Pitch,” Jack beckoned. “Come on.” Pitch ignored him, hiding his devilish grin in the darkness. The more Pitch could point out the divide between Jack and the other Guardians, the better chance he had at converting the sprite. North being willing to release Jack only made the situation worse in the long run, because Jack would consistently be reminded that he believed in something the Guardians refused to follow. Nagging at the back of his mind, though, Pitch knew the fearlings would get restless and hungry without him around. He couldn’t exactly keep them away from children and the surface world while separated by North’s magic prison. Sandman arrived a bit later while Jack was laying in mid-air, hovering and listening to music on the headphones. He didn’t notice Sandman until the golden figure grabbed an elf by the hat and shook him so he jingled. “Sandy!” Jack smiled and dropped to his feet. Pitch stayed in the shadows, eyeing Sandman warily. “North said you were coming.” Jack watched little golden sand symbols fly over Sandman’s head as quickly as he could think them up. “Okay, okay, uh… I missed you, too,” Jack shrugged, unable to keep up. Sandy looked around the cell with narrowed eyes. He showed Jack a symbol of a tall man with a scythe then a question mark. “Pitch? He’s right… here…?” Jack turned. “Pitch?” Pitch formed up from the shadows behind Jack silently. “There you are,” Jack tilted his head backwards with a goofy smile.

“Never left,” Pitch muttered. Jack tucked away his music player and speaker in his pocket. Sandman took a deep breath. Tooth had warned him about Jack’s burns and Pitch’s strange closeness to Jack, but seeing it was something else entirely. Sandman conjured a golden halo out of sand and pointed two fingers from his eyes to Jack and Pitch, meaning to say, “behave, I’ve got my eyes on you.”

“I don’t know, Sandy, I think North put me back at the very top of the Naughty List,” Jack stage whispered as a joke. Sandy shook his head and signaled with symbols that he was going to unlock the door and they were going to walk in front of him. “So professional,” Jack mocked lightly. Pitch was secretly hoping Jack would behave as well, though, seeing as Sandman was probably the only other Guardian he didn’t want to go head-to-head with. Of course, asking for Jack to behave was like asking a lemur not to climb a tree. As soon as Sandy had the cell door open, Jack took off with a loud whoop. Pitch stayed in the cell and shrugged at Sandy. Jack was back only moments later, staff in hand. “Found it! Well, it found me, but, whatever.” He landed in front of Sandy and thumped the staff a couple of times, shooting ice loosely from both ends as though knocking dust off. “That feels much better.” Sandman made an exaggerated eye roll and gestured for them to walk down the hall. Jack led the way with Pitch close behind him, cautious of Sandman as he hovered behind them both. When the hallway forked, Sandy cast a golden arrow of sand to point Jack in the right direction. They walked past one wing of the Workshop where yetis could be seen hard at work on this year’s last few batches of toys. Jack had to contain himself to keep from flying in and causing havoc. Pitch could almost see the gears of Jack’s mind turning as he watched the organized chaos that was the Workshop floor.

“Easy, Jack,” he warned with a smirk.

“One stray snowball and I could sabotage that entire line of paint pumps,” he grinned, eyes glowing with mischief. Pitch placed his hands on Jack’s shoulders and steered him away faster.

“Anything you do, they’ll think I made you do it,” he reminded Jack.

“I know, I know,” he groaned. Sandman looked over them both, keeping a watchful eye on the corners and shadows for any of Pitch’s followers. He wouldn’t find any, though. Pitch had created a shadow clone of himself the second the cell door had been opened, and that clone was already in Nightfall. Pitch’s clone was in the process of taking accountability of the fearlings, double-checking portals, and passing orders. Once his mission was complete, the clone disappeared. Pitch felt a small surge of energy return to him right as Sandman opened the door to a small guest room. There were two beds, no windows, and simple decorations that matched the rest of North’s castle. “No view?” Jack gave Sandy a fake pout. Sandman pointed at Jack, conjured a sand dunce hat for himself, and mimed being thrown behind bars. “Right, right, I’m grounded,” he joked, casting a quick spear of ice at Sandy. Sandman reacted just as quickly and deflected the ice with a small shield of sand. Jack chuckled and sat on the far bed. Pitch stood off to the side, sensing the powerful spells that were about to be sealed to keep them inside. Sandy floated over to Jack and hovered next to him. He signaled with a few fingers on his own forehead, pointing back and forth between himself and Jack, asking permission to share a mind link. “Go ahead,” Jack nodded. Pitch watched with mild interest as Sandman used his magic to make a mental bond with Jack so they could speak.

 _“How are you, old friend?”_ Sandman’s voice was the same as the one he projected through his thoughts. It was light and airy like a distant man’s voice carried on the wind, and it had a strange, staccato accent that couldn’t be placed to any earthen nation.

“Been better,” Jack shrugged. “North and Tooth have both already paid their visits. I’m starting to feel a bit like a circus freak show.”

_“You’re here because of your own choices. We’re simply trying to understand.”_

“Well, no offense, but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s trying very hard.” Pitch tried to keep up with only half the conversation and Sandman’s facial expressions to go off of.

 _“Let me try to understand on my own, then. Talk to me.”_ Sandman placed a hand over Jack’s with a gentle smile. He understood what Tooth had meant by a certain darkness in Jack’s eyes, but it didn’t concern him. Jack was simply getting older, in Sandy’s eyes, and that darkness was maturity, not corruption. Jack thought for a moment and decided on a different tactic with Sandman.

“Do you… remember how we met?” Jack asked Sandman. The jolly figure smiled brightly and nodded. “Funny you can smile about it now,” Jack smirked. He looked over at Pitch. “Come here. I don’t think you know this story. Sandy was the first Guardian I met after the Man in the Moon pulled me out of the ice.”

“Is that so?” Pitch was actually interested in learning more about Jack. He sat on the other bed across from them both.

“It was a few weeks after he woke me, when I was still learning my powers. I was basically just freezing everything I could touch with the staff. And there were these… There were three kids I was following around specifically, trying to get them to see me. I was getting lonely and frustrated, and every night, the parents would call the kids in way before I was ready to give up for the day. I followed one of them to his room and watched him fall asleep, and then I saw it. This golden stream of glowing sand floated in through the window, and I didn’t know what it was at first, but I figured it out eventually. I watched the kid’s dream. He was reliving the day with his friends, having fun with magic snow and ice, but I still wasn’t there.

“One night, I decided to follow the sand. As soon as the dream started, I traced it up to the sky and I saw Sandy. I had no idea who he was or what he was doing, but I felt magic and warmth. I was afraid, though,” Jack said with a bashful smile. “I wanted to fly right up to you and ask a thousand questions about the dreams and the sand and your powers,” he said to Sandy, “but I was so scared that you wouldn’t be able to see me like everyone else. I didn’t want to risk it, so for a few nights, I would just wait for the dreams to start, and I would watch Sandy from rooftops or trees.” Pitch could picture it, young Jack in his raggedy cloak crouching behind dark tree branches to spy on a strange and wondrous magical creature. “During the day, I would try to get kids to see me, and at night, I would watch their dreams or follow the sand. And then I got an idea,” he grinned. Sandy shook his head, remembering Jack’s mischief all too well. “You weren’t the first one to mess with dream sand,” Jack said to Pitch, a spark of fun in his eyes.

“Really, now?” Pitch crossed his legs, leaning in with interest.

“I thought,” Jack explained, “if the sand controlled their dreams, I could use it to get them to see me. At least while they were asleep. At first, I tried using the staff on dreams they were already having. When I touched active dream sand with the staff, the whole dream would freeze. The kids couldn’t move in the dream because they were frozen still, so they got scared and woke up.”

“Similar to sleep paralysis,” Pitch nodded. “I used to be good at that,” he smirked, “but I never thought of using the dream sand to do it.” His smile fell when Sandy gave him a hard glare.

“So, that didn’t work, right?” Jack kept going. “My next thought was if I couldn’t change an active dream, I would have to make one myself. And for that, you need… dream sand,” Jack shrugged.

“So you stole it,” Pitch raised a brow.

“So I stole it,” Jack nodded. “I flew out underneath Sandy’s cloud one night and scooped sand from the bottom of the cloud into a little pouch, and then I darted away and never looked back. I was terrified that Sandy would somehow know that someone touched his sand, so I waited until the next night to try it. I mixed the dream sand with frost before using it, and this kid started having a really fun dream about a snowball fight. I cast a version of myself into the sand, but he still couldn’t see me. I tried it on a bunch of different kids, every night, until I ran out of sand, and I could never get them to see me. I didn’t want to stop trying, though. I thought maybe I just needed more sand, more magic, that it would work eventually. I followed the dream sand again up to Sandy’s cloud, but this time, he was ready. I don’t know how you knew,” Jack said, looking at Sandman, “but you knew I was there that time.” Sandy looked at Pitch and cast the mental bond out for him, as well. Pitch was a little surprised but hid it. It took a certain level of trust to open your mind to someone, he thought. In the split second before Sandy spoke up, Pitch understood the depth of trust required to open his mind, and Sandy sensed his understanding. It was a quick, unspoken moment of risk and mutual respect. Jack didn’t pick up on any of it, but he didn’t need to, Pitch thought.

 _“The first time you took the sand, I felt the temperature drop, and I saw a snow cloud form out of nowhere,”_ Sandy shared. _“It was very strange. Then, I realized some children were starting to have different dreams. I can sense every dream, and I found it odd that while the weather was getting warmer, children were having dreams about snow and ice. I knew I wasn’t causing it. When I went down to check on one of the children, I saw you playing with the dream sand. I knew you had no ill intentions. I also had no clue who you were. I asked Man in the Moon about you, but he only told me your name and that children didn’t believe in you yet. I assumed he wanted me to help you.”_ Jack shifted back and forth restlessly.

“You scared me half to death,” he muttered with a nervous smile. Jack looked at Pitch. “When I went to steal more dream sand, Sandy had set a trap for me. As soon as I touched the cloud, sand exploded in my face and I fell asleep. You must have caught me or something, because we were pretty high up,” he said to Sandy, who nodded. “But he spoke to me in the dream, explained who he was and what he was doing, and then warned me not to steal dream sand again. Said he would lock me up back on his island and never let me wake up,” Jack chuckled.

_“I was a little angry with you for stealing, but I knew you had the mindset of a child and that you were just lonely.”_

“After that,” Jack told Pitch, “I tagged along with Sandy for a bit. I even convinced him to try casting me into children’s dreams himself, but it never worked. I don’t remember why I stopped hanging out with you…,” he said, looking to Sandy for an explanation.

 _“One night you just didn’t show. I couldn’t go looking for you because back then, the world was darker, and the children needed my dreams whenever the Moon couldn’t light the way. Eventually, I could tell when you had visited a town because the children’s dreams shifted to fun snow days without my influence, so I knew you were safe.”_ Jack took a deep breath.

“You’ve always looked out for me, as much as you could, at least,” he smiled. “Sandy?” There was a growing tension between the three as Jack’s features shifted to solemn. Sandy patted Jack’s hand again sympathetically. “I need you to help me convince the others that I’m okay. I really believe in what I’m doing with Pitch, and I don’t know how to get them to trust me. I know I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in the past, but…” Sandy made a small golden arrow pointing at Pitch, who scoffed in response.

_“It’s not about your bad decisions. It’s about the irredeemable nature of his actions. What ground do you have to stand on?”_

“No one is irredeemable,” Jack said firmly, looking at Pitch. The dark spirit was getting tired of playing along and being polite, though. Pitch stood and walked across the room, trying to contain his emotions so Sandman couldn’t sense them.

“He’s got a point, Jack. I’ve done many terrible things. I even drowned you in a lake,” he led Jack along, openly sharing the memory for Sandman to view if he wanted. Jack leapt off the bed and hovered behind Pitch.

“But you revived me. And you were teaching me how to swim- Sandy,” he turned back, “he was helping me overcome my own fears. He’s changed,” he urged. “Please, just… consider it. I don’t want this to be about picking sides. I want everyone to be able to work together. Just like the Man in the Moon gave me powers for a reason, I think Pitch has his powers for a reason, too.” While Pitch’s back was turned, Sandy approached a difficult question.

Sandman cut Pitch out of the mental link for a moment. He had picked up on little signs and micro-expressions, but he was finding it hard to believe. He had to know, if Jack was willing to share something that personal. He made a symbol of a snowflake, pointing at Jack, then a symbol of a heart, followed by the tall man with a scythe symbol, pointing at Pitch. Jack landed slowly, one foot at a time returning to the floor. Do I love Pitch? Jack asked himself. He didn’t have to respond for Sandman to understand. Jack tried to answer, but he couldn’t find words. He looked flustered and confused, his mouth open slightly as he stared off through the floor. Sandman knew the answer before Jack mouthed ‘I don’t know.’ He rephrased his question with the symbols in reverse order to ask Jack if Pitch loved him. Jack’s face tinted in red and he seemed to shrink down on himself. Sandman saw the same clueless anxiety rising in his eyes and gave him more space. He broke the silence before Pitch could get suspicious of the empty air.

 _“I’ll give you some space. And I’ll think about what you’ve asked of me,”_ he said simply. Jack walked him to the door, still lost in the questions. _“Just think about what I asked you, too,”_ Sandy thought before ending the mind-bond.

“I will,” Jack said. Sandman closed the door and sealed off the magic barriers he’d put in place. Bunnymund was waiting next to the door and startled Sandy, who jumped and lost some sand in surprise.

“How’d it go?” Sandy recollected himself and weighed his hands back and forth to say it went okay. “I don’t like this,” he said, glaring at the door. “At least in the cell, the guards could keep an eye on Pitch… Look, Sandy, I haven’t told North yet, but when Jack and Pitch were both out cold, I- I saw something.” Sandy floated up and took Bunny’s forearm to lead him away from the room. He gave Bunny an inquisitive question mark symbol. “Jack had… these bruises. On his neck,” Bunny said quietly. “I think there’s some things he’s not telling us about …” Sandy floated up and stopped in front of Bunny, forcing a mental link.

_“There are a lot of things he’s not telling us. He doesn’t feel safe. When North put him in a cage and hurt Pitch, we all lost Jack’s trust. We shot first and now we’re asking questions. It’s going to take time to get Jack to open up again.”_

“But what if Pitch is in there right now, hurting him! Doing something he doesn’t want! Or worse, what if he’s tricked him into it? What if he’s got something on Jack that he’s holding against him, or he’s twisted his mind, or-”

 _“E. Aster Bunnymund,”_ Sandy scolded, _“have a little more faith than that. Jack is strong and clever. If he’s in trouble, we’ll help him. Honestly, though… I think Jack is just fine. I don’t fully trust Pitch. I don’t know if I ever could. But I believe Jack is perfectly safe.”_ Sandy ended the link and pulled Bunny away, signaling that they should see if North needed any help in the shop.

“If you say so, mate…”

Back in their new room, though, Jack was ensnared in tight, constricting shadows as Pitch blocked the door with his own dark barrier.

“Pitch! What are you doing! Stop, that hurts!”


	28. An Offer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I know cliffhangers are the absolute worst, so I'm posting 28 early. Ch. 29 will be up tomorrow!
> 
> **the tag is a slight spoiler**
> 
> tag for NSFW warning :3

**Ch. 28- An Offer**

As soon as the door had shut, Jack was yanked roughly backwards by a strong grip on his ankles. He was hauled up into the air upside-down, and thick ropes of shadow wrapped around his legs. Pitch made quick work of stripping Jack bare, making his clothes vanish into darkness and using another shadow to snatch the staff away. Thick, opaque blackness spread up and over the door like tar as two shadow limbs tugged Jack’s wrists back behind his back.

“Pitch! What are you doing!” Jack struggled as his arms were folded behind him, a hand on each bicep, forcing him to arch slightly. “Stop, that hurts!” Another shadow wrapped around his mouth to silence him. Pitch glided closer so he was eye-level with the bound, upside-down sprite.

“Sh-sh. Calm, calm. I’m simply celebrating our newfound privacy,” he said in the proper English pronunciation. “And you’re not really fighting me,” he pointed out. Jack glared at him, stretching and trying to get out of the tight shadows. He mumbled under the mouth covering, but he noticed that Pitch had been careful not to touch his burns. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but I wasn’t sure you were ready. I want to have you completely under my control, bound and helpless and wanting,” Pitch said slowly, eyes glowing. He watched with pleasure as Jack’s fight died and he started to succumb to the idea. Pitch shifted the shadows so Jack’s eyes were covered instead of his mouth.

“What if someone comes?” Jack muttered nervously.

“Someone will definitely come,” Pitch grinned devilishly.

“Dirty old man,” Jack smirked.

“Look how hard you are already. And I’m the dirty one?” Pitch let a curl of shadow run firmly over Jack’s length, drawing a quiet groan from the sprite. With a flick of his hand, Jack was on his stomach on the bed, arms still drawn back and eyes still covered. He waved away the rest of his shadows and knelt on the bed behind Jack, admiring the view. “On your knees,” he told the other. Jack didn’t move, but he was grinning. “Are you purposefully disobeying me?” Pitch asked, leaning down close to his ear.

“What are you gonna do about it?” Jack whispered back. Pitch straightened himself, and Jack cried out as a sharp-nailed hand rang across his backside with an echoing slap. Pitch watched the delightful red blooming on his pale skin.

“I said, on your knees,” he repeated. Jack, still a little in shock from the blow, slowly eased one knee underneath himself and then the other. Pitch came from the other direction this time and smacked him again, getting a loud yelp from Jack.

“Hey! I’m going!”

“Not fast enough.” Pitch squeezed one marked cheek in his hand, letting his nails dig in as Jack adjusted himself. “Now, stay put.” Pitch’s weight left the mattress suddenly, and Jack felt a single chill of fear.

“Pitch?” The darkness swirling over his eyes didn’t do anything to put him at ease. Pitch watched, hovering above the bed. Jack became more anxious, clenching and unclenching his tight ass in anticipation of another impact. Instead, Pitch let a cold shadow run down Jack’s spine, settling in and massaging at the small of his back. Jack was embarrassed at the sounds it forced from him. Pitch already knew his body too well, and the pressure on his lower back had him half-thrusting towards the bed with desire.

“What an erotic sight,” Pitch praised next to Jack’s ear. Jack flinched at his voice, not expecting him to be so close. “Do you like playing like this?” Jack bit his lip and mumbled a near-silent yes. “I can’t hear you,” Pitch teased, running his nails down the back of Jack’s thigh.

“Yes!” Jack cried out. He spread his legs a little wider, unsure if it was a conscious decision, and pulled at the shadows binding his arms again.

“Do you want me to put it inside you?” Pitch asked, returning to kneel behind him on the bed.

“Yes, please,” Jack begged, arching more and searching for contact.

“Good.” Pitch took a moment to loosen him up with a few wetted fingers while he readied himself with his free hand. Frost sparkled around them, and it started to snow right as Pitch found his spot again. Jack nearly collapsed into the mattress several times as Pitch ran his deft fingers back and forth over it, massaging him. “Careful, now. I put up my own barriers, but you start screaming and they might hear us anyway,” he warned. “Do I need to gag you?” He smirked. Jack swallowed.

“No…”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to?” Pitch pried, adding a fourth finger. Jack shook his head, panting softly. “Mm, there’s something I’d love to shut you up with… but perhaps next round,” he considered. Jack tilted his hips back, trying to get more from Pitch. “Patience.” Pitch pulled his fingers away and lined up, leaning over Jack. Jack could feel the soft edges of his cloak surrounding them both, and even without his sight, he felt safe underneath Pitch. Pitch rammed in mercilessly with one thrust and placed a hand on Jack’s forearms to keep him from going too far. Jack shoved his face into the mattress to muffle his cry. Pitch ran a hand through his loose hairs to tuck them back. He would let nothing get in the way of his wonderful view. Jack moaned helplessly as Pitch’s little shadow hands started to crawl across his body, kneading and massaging in all the right places.

“Please, Pitch,” Jack muttered.

“Please, what?”

“Move… please…”

“As you wish.” Pitch licked his lips as he took Jack’s hips into his hands and started giving firm, half-length thrusts. He watched the skin pull and muscles flex as he sank into Jack repeatedly, drawing both pleasure and energy from the sprite. Jack felt like everywhere the shadows touched him they left behind a trail of fire. He felt liquid and pliant in Pitch’s control and focused only on the searing pleasure of being filled over and over again. He was more than ready when Pitch picked up the pace, desperately attacking his partner.

Jack’s newest reaction was freezing instead of sweating. It had concerned Pitch initially, bringing a full stop to their activity the first time it happened, but now he thought it was cute. Jack formed thin sheets of ice across his skin, and the ice would crack and fall away only to be replaced by more. With his hands and arms bound, though, at least he wasn’t coating the bed in fern ice patterns this time. Pitch shivered as the room grew ever colder, and he wrapped an arm around Jack to hold him close. Jack could tell now when Pitch was getting close. He tensed up to tighten around Pitch, happy when he pulled a deep groan of pleasure from the other. Pitch kissed the back of his neck, giving him light chills, and then the hand on his chest moved up. Pitch tweaked Jack’s nipples hard, each in turn, licking his lips as Jack moaned in response. He leaned up and bit down hard on Jack’s shoulder, leaving a formidable, dark mark well below his hoodie line.

“Pitch, I’m…,” Jack warned. “Please!” Pitch’s rhythm became more frantic. He ran his hand down Jack’s chest and then grabbed his hip to keep him in place. He could hear the exact moment Jack would climax just from his breathing, and he let himself go at the same time. Both spirits jerked towards each other, riding out the intense sensation that ran across their skin like wildfire. Jack floated dizzily in afterglow as Pitch pulled away and removed the shadows. For once, Pitch stayed with Jack and let him curl in close as sleep started to claim him. He could feel that he had pulled a lot of energy from Jack this time, like he was getting better at siphoning it away. He stroked Jack’s hair until he was sure the sprite was asleep, then he pulled the covers around Jack and got up. Pitch composed himself in the mirror and then looked back at Jack. His sleeping figure was so still and peaceful, Pitch almost couldn’t imagine him darting across the room with a childlike laugh, leaving snowflakes in his stead.

Sandy thought he was so sneaky, Pitch reflected. He had been watching in the mirror as Sandman interrogated Jack silently about his relationship with Pitch. Love, he scoffed to himself. A creature as carefree and bright as Jack could never come to love someone like Pitch. This whole charade was just that- a charade. Jack naively believed Pitch would change and use his powers for good, but Pitch knew better. He slunk through darkness and reappeared, then he ran a hand through Jack’s hair, standing at his bedside. As soon as they were clear of the Guardians, Pitch would let darkness consume Jack Frost so he could absorb the other’s energy while utilizing him and his powers.

At least, that had been the plan before. Pitch could no longer hear the prying whispers and dark urges of his fearling army every second of the day. The magic barriers and physical separation had allowed him a clarity of mind he hadn’t experienced for as long as he could remember. It was like a thick fog had been swept away, and lighting his way was a frosty little sprite with a smile that sparkled like shooting stars. Jack had shown him greater purpose during Lilac’s rescue. He had felt a sudden, painful tugging at his heart when Jack had burned himself to protest Pitch’s torture. And Pitch had been a little too invested in learning the answer to Sandman’s question. Did Jack love him? Was it even possible? And moreover, did he love the sprite in return?

These heavy questions weighed on Pitch while he waited for the other to recover his energy. He paced the room until he was familiar with every flaw in the carpet. A guard yeti came a few hours later with an offering of cookies, eggnog, and roast ham. Pitch waved it off but let him place the tray near Jack for when he woke. After the yeti left, Pitch picked up the music player and speaker. He scrolled to the playlist Jack had made for him and put on the instrumentals for the Nutcracker, trying to get in a more festive mood. For Jack’s sake strictly, of course. When Jack came to, Pitch was reading a book from the shelf, trying to see how much Russian he remembered.

“Whatcha readin’?” Jack asked, snuggling a pillow against his chest as he looked over.

“I believe it is a story about the witch, Baba Yaga, but I can’t tell if she’s being cast as the villain or hero. I can only make out every third word or so.” Jack leaned over.

“Let me.” Pitch handed him the book, and Jack flipped back to the beginning of the chapter he was on. He started reading slowly in Russian then translated one paragraph at a time. Pitch got lost in the moment as though hypnotized by Jack’s soft, tired voice. A dim yellow lamp lit the space between them as he leaned over on his armchair to listen to Jack read. He let Jack finish the first short story. “Want me to read the next one?” He offered.

“That’s alright. I enjoyed that,” he said sincerely.

“I really like reading stories. I used to read them to kids at night sometimes while they slept, another tactic trying to get them to see me…”

“I can see you,” Pitch said, placing his hand over Jack’s. Jack met his eyes sheepishly, blushing.

“I… uh, Sandy asked me something kind of… strange earlier.”

“I know,” Pitch said quietly.

“Y-you know? I thought he was being subtle-”

“He was, but I saw in the mirror.” Jack suddenly tried to bail from the conversation.

“Sandy- Sandy’s crazy, isn’t he!” Jack laughed. “I mean, he’s always looked out for me, and I just stopped hanging out with him one day. Really uncool,” he rambled nervously. Pitch grabbed his chin in a curl of shadow and yanked his face back, staring into the sprite’s deep, glacier blue eyes.

“You didn’t really answer him.” Pitch withheld most of his smile as he watched Jack’s face brighten with color.

“I… didn’t… have an answer,” Jack muttered.

“No one else around to pressure you. Do you have an answer now?” Pitch leaned in, mesmerized by the light in Jack’s eyes and the obvious desire on his face. Jack’s lips parted, but not for words. He seemed to be giving himself up as an offering. Pitch decided he didn’t want to wait for an answer, but before he could close the distance between their lips, there was heavy knocking at the door. Pitch disappeared into the shadows right as North opened the door. Jack swallowed hard, and his clenched fists of frustration didn’t go unnoticed by the spirit watching him from the dark corner of the room. Pitch cursed North silently and worked to compose himself. Jack sat up and grabbed the book to make it look like he’d been reading.

“Jack! I have an offer I think you’re going to like,” North announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great timing, North...
> 
> For those of you who were worried, thanks for sticking with me- Pitch was just being playful~ right Jack?  
> J: >//////>  
> Yeah, that's what I thought.
> 
> Let me know what you think will happen next, and like I said, Ch. 29 will be posted tomorrow!


	29. Hyperloop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 29, as promised. Look for Ch. 30 on Monday!

**Ch. 29- Hyperloop**

“Is it a doorbell?” Jack muttered under his breath as he closed the book. Pitch laughed inwardly as he stepped out from the shadows. Jack was about to get up when he realized he was still naked, and he shot Pitch an urgent look. Pitch wanted to play with the situation, but his eyes landed on the deep bruise on the back of Jack’s shoulder and he decided he didn’t want to deal with another interrogation. He cast Jack’s clothes back and stepped in front of him to distract North.

“Just for Jack?” He asked, using the shadows to grow slightly taller than North. The large, red-coated man huffed.

“Da. I doubt it is something of your interest, anyway,” he said, eyeing Pitch. He kept North’s attention just long enough for Jack to shimmy his pants and hoodie on and roll out of bed. Pitch bit his tongue hard to keep from laughing as Jack stumbled to hide a slight limp. Pitch circled behind North as he looked over and made a lewd gesture with his hand that had Jack blushing bright red again. Mischief is my thing, Jack thought as he shot Pitch a playful glare. “I know how you feel about leaving confinement when I refuse to release Pitch,” North started.

“Do you?” Jack tilted his head with a smirk.

“I know what you’ve told me,” North corrected himself. “But, I think to myself, Jack Frost is in my workshop, being idle. What if you help me with some new designs? You come to my office, work on toys with me, come back here when done.”

“Wait. You want… my help? With the toys?” Jack scoffed.

“You are Guardian of Fun. Of course I want your help! I should have asked long time ago.”

“This isn’t gonna turn into a full-time gig, is it? You know how I feel about work and responsibilities,” Jack grinned, summoning his staff and perching up on the crook.

“Yes, no deadlines, only snowball fun times,” North quoted him loosely.

“Exactly.”

“What do you say, Jack? You wouldn’t be going far, and who knows, maybe we talk some more while you help.” Pitch walked up to Jack and ran his knuckles gently over Jack’s forehead and through his hair.

“Go ahead. I know you’re running out of ways to entertain yourself trapped in here with me.”

“I don’t know,” Jack shifted. “I had a lot more songs I was gonna sing for you,” he grinned. “I barely scratched the surface of Avril Lavigne, and Panic at the Disco was up next,” he listed off.

“Go help North,” Pitch said firmly, his eyes wide and dark at the idea of sitting through more of Jack’s jam sessions. Jack laughed and twirled around the staff.

“Are you sure?” Pitch looked between North and Jack. North crossed his arms, and his eyes darted around the room. Pitch could tell he was hiding something, but he didn’t mention it.

“Yes. In the meantime, maybe I’ll fix your playlist and eradicate the ear-sore you call modern music.”

“Better than people screaming at each other in Italian,” Jack said as he walked backwards towards North.

“Opera is true art,” Pitch defended.

“I’ll be back,” Jack said, sincerity in his eyes as North led him out.

“I know…,” Pitch said to himself as the door closed. He turned away, well aware of the presence who had been hiding behind the door since North opened it. “I thought I smelled an animal,” Pitch said, facing away from Bunnymund. He looked over his shoulder with a smug grin. “Couldn’t just ask to speak to me in private? Had to lure Jack away so he didn’t do something rash if you fought me?”

“If this ends in a fight, it’s your fault, mate. I promised I wouldn’t strike first. But that doesn’t mean I won’t strike at all,” he said, pointing a boomerang at Pitch.

“I’m still a little surprised you want me anywhere near the toys after what happened last year,” Jack said once he was in North’s office. He hovered, following the toy train that drove around a track near the ceiling.

“Accidents happen,” North shrugged, not wanting to talk about how Jack had accidentally nearly ruined Christmas. “There is project I’ve been working on, but it’s missing something. I had yetis and elves look, I even had Tooth Fairy look, but I don’t like it so far.” Jack landed next to him.

“What is it?”

“New toy train design. Kids are not as interested in old steam engines anymore. They want futuristic toys.” North rolled up one sleeve and looked over the Nice List. “Like here, Alicia. She wants something called a Tesla Hyperloop model. I used magic to design, but I don’t know what it is.”

“That’s what this is?” Jack pointed to the large model train set trailing from the floor to North’s desk with what looked like a bullet train on the tracks.

“I believe so. Sometimes the magic crafts more than my mind can keep up with, sometimes is topsy-turvy.” Jack walked around the train set, inspecting the track and the train model itself. “See what you can do with it. I’m going to check on yetis in red wing.”

“You’re leaving me alone? In- in your office?” Jack pointed his staff around. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”

“Is it dangerous? I trust you,” North winked and left without another word. Jack puffed his cheeks and held his breath as he looked around. Over the centuries, he’d come up with many schemes to try to break into North’s castle, and more schemes on what he would do once inside. Now, here he was in North’s office with access to more magic than he could begin to understand. There were spellbound snow globes, some of which made portals, some of which made barriers, and some of which conjured any toy you could think of. Jack ran his fingers over every single globe on the shelf, jittery with excitement. He rifled through North’s desk, grinning like a giddy fool as he went through sketches of toy ideas, silly short stories, and profiles on some of the yetis. He got distracted by the whistling of steam and flew over to a giant hot cocoa machine set into the wall.

“Why only hot drinks? Why not iced?” He smirked, making himself a mocha and then freezing half of it. He floated in the middle of room, twirling his staff in one hand and sipping the iced mocha. He flew over to the bullet train with a chocolate mustache and tapped his staff on his temple in thought. “Something doesn’t look right.” He had an idea, but it made him feel conflicted. “If I don’t leave, I’m not leaving him behind.” Jack made a small portal to an internet café back in Hawthorne and leaned through to use a computer, his bottom half still technically in North’s office. He did some quick research on the hyperloop and then closed the portal. “That’s why it’s not right. It’s not really a train,” he said to himself. Jack cracked his knuckles and got to work with a determined smile.

North waited just down the hall from Jack and Pitch’s room, rocking nervously. It took a lot to make him anxious, but the idea of Bunny in that room with the Guardians’ greatest enemy had him sweating bullets.

As soon as Bunny had pointed the boomerang at Pitch, it was gone, faded into shadow.

“Why, you-” Bunny choked off his words as Pitch rammed him with a wall of shadow that formed into an arm and wrapped around his neck.

“You listen to me,” he said firmly. “I don’t appreciate how lofty you all act around Jack only to turn around and disrespect me the moment he’s gone. You pointing a weapon at me is what started all of this. Jack and I were perfectly fine, functioning with a mutual goal and mutual respect until you jumped in under the assumption I had somehow turned him,” Pitch growled, replacing the shadow with his own hand. Bunnymund struggled, trying to kick at the shadows that flattened him against the wall. “The one thing Jack did for me that you all never did was he treated me like an equal. You all look at me like the scum under your feet. The only reason I don’t kill you right now is because I know how much it would hurt Jack.” He released Bunnymund and withdrew quickly to avoid any speedy blows. Bunny crouched on the floor, catching his breath. Pitch summoned the boomerang and tossed it at Bunny’s feet carelessly. “At least Sandman had the decency to share a polite conversation, and I shot him in the back, quite literally,” he scoffed a laugh. Bunnymund stood slowly, clearing his throat and feeling his anger dwindle with embarrassment.

“I just wanted to hear your side. We’ve all heard from Jack now, and he’s made his position well known.”

“Why would you want to hear it from me, then?” Pitch took a seat in the armchair, exuding a careless aura.

“Because he’s not tellin’ us everything. He… doesn’t trust us enough… and I don’t blame him.” Bunny rolled his head back and glared at the ceiling, fists clenched. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have just jumped in. But I saw my friend in danger, and I acted. I gotta live with the consequence of that, even if it’s losing Jack’s trust. But what about you? Are you thinking about any consequences?”

“Constantly,” Pitch said calmly.

“Nah, malarkey, mate. Yer not thinkin’ about what’s good for Jack. You’re just taking whatever he gives you. Time. Effort. Energy. His body,” Bunny said the last one through gritted teeth. “I saw those marks when you two were conked out in the woods. I know what you’re up to.”

“And how is that any of your business, rabbit?” Pitch hissed. “What happens between Jack and myself is private, and if you must know, consensual,” he confirmed, just to watch the emotions tearing across Bunnymund’s face. Irritation, rage, frustration, sadness… and something else? Pitch stood and started to approach him. “What’s this now? Have you come to question me… because you’re jealous?” Bunny whipped out almost faster than Pitch could dodge, fists flying with wooden boomerangs held along his forearms. Pitch used the shadows to grab his wrists and stop him. He used two more to anchor Bunnymund’s feet to the floor, keeping him still as he approached again. “My, my.” Pitch shook his head slightly as he saw tears welling up in the other’s eyes. “Does Jack know how strongly you feel?”

“No, and if you know what’s good for you, it’s going to stay that way!”

“I see no benefit in sharing that kind of information.” He released Bunny again once he sensed that the other had calmed a bit.

“I don’t care who Jack chooses to be with,” Bunny said with a fierce look in his eyes. “All I care about is that he’s safe and happy. If- if that’s how it is… then fine. But tell me that’s how it is.”

“To the best of my knowledge, Jack is happy, and I equally wish him to remain unharmed,” Pitch said, folding his hands cordially in front of his chest. Bunnymund took a deep, difficult breath.

“If you’re lying… If you’re hurting’ him, or plannin’ to hurt him, I’ll kill you. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill ya.”

“Strong words from the Guardian of Hope,” Pitch said as though he hadn’t just been threatened.

“Jack carries all of my Hope with him. Since he became a Guardian, Easter’s been about more than kids finding candy. It’s been more than just new beginnings. It’s the start of spring. The end of winter. It’s a sad time for him, but he took that and made it something different, for me. He comes to the biggest egg hunts with me now, and he makes sure every child there finds an egg and has fun.” His eyes watered again. “He interacts with them like I never could on my own. He does it for the other Guardians too. The lights on Earth have never been brighter, and if you do anything to take that light from us now, you’ll wish you’d never crawled out of that hole you came from.” Pitch thought of multiple ways he could respond, but he tried to go with what he would say if Jack were in the room. He drew up close to Bunny again, hands behind his back to appear less threatening. 

“When you overcome all those dreadful fears,” Pitch said, “your hatred will wash away with them. Everything you just said is about fear. You’re afraid of losing the children. You’re afraid of losing the light. You’re afraid of losing Jack. Everything changes, Aster. You’ll never be happy if you only focus on the things you’ve lost and the things you could lose.”

“What do you know about happiness?”

“A lot more now that Jack is helping me…,” he said candidly. “I didn’t think I could change before. Now… I’m starting to think anything is possible if Jack puts his mind to it.”

“I still think you’re up to something,” Bunny muttered.

“You’re allowed to feel that way,” Pitch shrugged, gliding away.

“I’m not going to apologize to you,” he declared.

“I wouldn’t ask you to. I took away everything you loved. Don’t think I’ve forgotten, and don’t think I’d assume you could ever forgive me. But I will advise you to try to move forward. One foot in the past is not the way to live.” Bunny tucked his boomerangs away and shifted his shoulder bag.

“Jack will be back later. North actually did want his help with the toys.”

“I figured as much.” Bunny went to open the door with the key. “And Aster?” He beckoned. Bunnymund turned. “If I were up to something, don’t you think I would have made my move by now?” Bunny gave him a hard look and left, locking the door behind himself. Pitch smiled to himself. The answer was yes, normally he would have made a move by now, but this was too entertaining to put a stop to it all. Now, he just had to keep himself busy until Jack returned.


	30. Break Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you again to all my readers- Happy Holidays!

**Ch. 30- Break Eggs**

North was a little put-off by Bunnymund’s silence after his meeting with Pitch, but he didn’t want to pry until the other was ready to talk.

“I’ll be in my room. Let me know if you need anything,” Bunny said quietly to excuse himself. North nodded, watching him for a moment with sad eyes before turning back to his office. With perfect timing, North opened the door to the office and had to duck as a bullet train came flying at his face.

“Wait!” Jack had said a little too late as the train crashed to the floor behind North. “No…” He flew over and landed next to it, hands hovering over broken and dented pieces. North turned and scooped up the pieces slowly, his face unchanging. “North, I’m- I’m so sorry, I swear, I was trying to fix it!” He followed North back into the office. “I just thought, if it was going a little faster, it could make it over the jump and it would be this really cool thing where kids could pretend to save the crew from a broken track and I set it too high when I went to test it,” he rambled off, not leaving a gap to breathe, “and I’m- I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“Show me what you did,” North cut him off, setting the pieces on his desk. Jack bounced nervously on his toes. He looked at the track, now half-covered in glowing ice magic.

“Well… I added a sharp hill here,” he pointed with his staff to the ice additions he’d made to the track, “and a big loop here. The hyperloop is a magnetic levitation monorail, so a rollercoaster loop would be easy and fun. But then I added this part,” Jack pointed to where he had added a piece of steep, unfinished track.

“Did you test it before you finished making the track?” North asked, still calm and observing.

“No! No, I set a track switch here,” he said, showing North the lever he had added to the controls. “That way the train turns in time to avoid the dead end.”

“Why did you make a piece of track that’s not meant to be used?”

“You said kids are asking for different kinds of toys now, right? Well, I hang out with them all the time. They go for superheroes and princesses with magic powers. They want to be heroes when they play pretend. So, I made the train track with a dead end so that kids would have to switch the lever to save the train.” North was beyond impressed. He had expected Jack to add to the design, or perhaps craft something like a small village to go with the trainset. This was nothing he could have thought up himself. Jack’s train set was based on his own experiences with children and integrated his own sense of risky, dangerous fun. “I thought the train was going too slow, though, so I took the motor out and replaced it with a stronger one… I didn’t manage to switch it in time and then you opened the door and- well, now you’re caught up,” Jack mumbled. North gave Jack a hard look, messing with him a little, and then gave a hearty laugh. Jack laughed nervously with him. “You- you’re not mad?” He asked, tilting the staff at North.

“No! This is wonderful! Very creative, and you made it with the children in mind, thinking about what they would want. I’m impressed,” he admitted, “and I’m going to keep this design. I’ll finish it. I can’t give children a train made of ice. It won’t last very long,” he joked, elbowing Jack so hard the sprite nearly fell over.

“You’re saying you’re gonna use what I made? And- and give it out for Christmas?” Jack let out a happy laugh through his widening smile.

“Yes. I’m very excited to see what they think of it. And maybe you can play with some of them. I need to fix overpowered motor, though,” he said, looking at the busted train.

“It runs a little too fast,” Jack said, peeking out from behind the staff.

“What is saying, you must break eggs to make omelet?” North offered.

“Don’t tell Jack that. He’ll sabotage my tunnels again,” Bunny said, walking in. North was surprised to see him out already.

“Bunny,” Jack smiled gently.

“Hey. Can we talk for a minute?” He asked Jack, but looked at North for permission.

“Go ahead. I need to work on this now,” North said, patting the train pieces on his desk. “I’ll come get you for next project.”

“I’ll take him back to the room,” Bunny agreed, holding the door for Jack. As he walked out, Jack looked back at the train set. Kids are gonna play with something he helped design, Jack thought with a smile.

“Thanks, North,” he said as they left. North whipped out a tiny hammer and a few paintbrushes to get right to work, a little more convinced that Jack was still his bright, fun-loving self.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Jack asked once they were in the hall. He put his staff up across his shoulders and hung his arms over it.

“I spoke with Pitch while you were out,” Bunnymund admitted. He gave Jack a cautious look. Jack realized the train had been a distraction, and he started to question North’s sincerity. He tried to ignore the growing feeling of doubt to focus on Bunnymund.

“And?”

“He clarified some things for me. I just wanted to say…” Bunny stopped walking, so Jack did too. He gripped the strap of his bag, ears droopy and eyes on the floor. Jack waited patiently. “I don’t understand. I can’t understand. But he said you were happy and safe. Are you?” He finally looked up and met Jack’s eyes.

“Yes,” Jack said without hesitation. “I just wish you guys would give him a chance.”

“I can’t. Jack, do you remember the things he’s done? The damage and death he’s caused?”

“Under the influence of his demonic little army, yes. But I’ve been working with the fearlings. I think I can change them and get Pitch to see that change, too.”

“You can’t change the fearlings,” Bunny scoffed.

“I’m at least willing to try. Look, if it were you, trapped in darkness, exiled by everyone, I’d be making an effort to help you just the same,” Jack defended, tilting the staff at Bunnymund, who felt touched and conflicted. He stood up a little straighter, still clutching his bag strap.

“There’s something else I needed to tell ya a long time ago, but I never had the guts to say it. I don’t think you realize how much it tore me up when I lost that bracelet. I dug through the tunnels for hours looking for it.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings when I brought it up the other day,” Jack said.

“No, mate, I deserved it. I should have… I should have done a lot of things,” he sighed. “Maybe you could let me start to make up for it?” He offered a small, flirty smile that flew right over Jack’s head.

“You know what I want,” Jack said, completely oblivious to how Bunny was interpreting his light tone and shy behavior.

“Not used to you acting all timid and quiet,” Bunny grinned, leaning closer. Jack suddenly recognized the hungry look in his eyes as he raised a paw to Jack’s cheek. Without thinking, Jack shoved the staff between them both and sent Bunnymund flying backwards with a blast of glowing frost. The key to Jack’s room slid across the floor as Bunny landed hard, and Jack skated over on a patch of ice to scoop it up. He looked at Bunny, nervous and frustrated and confused, and he ran. Bunny jumped to his feet. “Jack, wait! Don’t!” He feared the worst as Jack flew towards the room with the key, assuming Jack was going to release Pitch. His mind raced as he prepared to fight Pitch and Jack again, desperately trying to catch up.

“Stay away from me!” Jack sent several more frost blasts behind himself to keep the other at bay. He unlocked the door quickly and slipped inside. Pitch glanced over with a questioning look. Bunny grabbed the door, but not in time. Jack slammed it in his face and locked it from the inside.

“Jack! Hold on! Let me in!” Bunny leaned back and jumped up high, kicking at the door with a barrage of furry feet. Pitch turned the music down and went to Jack’s side.

“What happened?” Jack blocked the door with thick ice until he couldn’t hear Bunnymund knocking anymore. “Jack?” Jack dropped the staff and turned, hugging Pitch tightly and burying his face. Pitch wrapped his arms around Jack, worried, and rubbed his back. Jack shook lightly, and Pitch couldn’t control the shadows curling up around them in response to his sudden anger. He lifted Jack and carried him to the bed, trying to contain his rage. The shadows started to fill the room, snuffing candles and turning off lights. Jack lifted his head as Pitch laid with him, still holding him close.

“It’s dark…”

“Talk to me,” Pitch said quietly.

“Bunny was acting weird… it set me off. I feel like I was just tricked and North didn’t actually want any help,” Jack said. He wouldn’t look at Pitch, but his broken voice gave him away. Pitch ground his teeth. Watching Jack get hurt by his own friends repeatedly was a special kind of torture that brought out an unexpected, fiery reaction from the dark spirit.

“What do you mean he was acting weird?” Pitch probed.

“He- he got really close to me, and he was eyeballing me. I’d never seen him act like that before. Maybe… maybe it’s better we stay together. If I go help North with something, I’ll make sure he lets you come next time,” Jack said, nuzzling into Pitch’s chest. Pitch’s anger started to dwindle as Jack indirectly admitted to feeling safer around him. He stroked Jack’s hair and ran a hand up the back of his hoodie, holding him close. Pitch stared off, worrying about the growth of his soft spot for Jack. Right now, though, he didn’t care. He suppressed his concerns and bathed in the welcome attention. Jack felt a strange sense of security as Pitch’s shadows covered him like a cocoon, blanketing him from the sight of all but their maker. Jack looked up at him with a sheepish smile. Pitch kissed his forehead. Something about this uncharacteristically sweet moment between them felt familiar. He felt like Jack had been this close to him before, a long time ago. Jack felt something similar as he ran a hand up Pitch’s chest, fingers running along ancient scars. Behind the magic barriers and Jack’s wall of ice, they shared a gentle moment of silent understanding. Jack felt hurt and betrayed, and he didn’t want to hear any more of the Guardians’ words or trickery. He felt safer with Pitch and his shadows, and he didn’t want to think about the others for a while. In his stubbornness and reluctance, Jack stayed in the room and refused to speak to any visitors for the next four days.


	31. Hello, Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unnecessarily ominous title... enjoy!

**Ch. 31- Hello, Darkness**

“Are you sure about this, Jack?” Pitch asked warily.

“Definitely. I want this to work. Got nothing better to do, right?” Jack rubbed his hands together, excited. “You remember what to do?”

“Yes,” Pitch sighed. “I just don’t think it’s going to work.”

“It’ll work. I know what I’m doing, and we made a plan.” Pitch nodded.

“Very well. Come here.” He stood in the middle of the room and summoned a pool of shadows on the floor. “You’d better be right about this,” Pitch muttered. Jack tapped his staff in the center of the shadows, casting a glowing, snowflake-like pattern of frost that disappeared into the swirling darkness. He set the staff down on the bed and shook his arms out, a little nervous before stepping into the shadows. Pitch raised the shadows around Jack until he was fully contained in darkness, and then he quickly released them. Jack looked different, somehow paler than before with deep, dark bags under his eyes. His eyes started to turn black, and his legs wobbled and gave out underneath him.

“Pitch…” The dark spirit wasn’t fast enough to catch him, and he stood over Jack for a moment, unsure and hesitant. He waited for a moment and then decided it was time to act. He grabbed the key to the room and unlocked the door, throwing it open and driving himself into a panic.

“Help! Someone! Jack needs help!” He called, sending out shadows in every direction to find the nearest Guardian. North was closest in the Workshop and came running when he heard Pitch. He dropped everything and crossed the factory floor, moving fast for such a large man. He directed a couple yetis to retrieve the other Guardians as he headed for Jack’s room.

“What is going on?” North demanded, shoving past Pitch into the room. “Jack!” The little sprite looked dead on the floor, his skin grayish and his eyes distant.

“He wanted to try a new spell, and I don’t know what went wrong-” Pitch said quickly. The other Guardians came in together, one after the other. Tooth gasped and hovered around Jack, wings buzzing away.

“Jack…” Bunnymund froze at the door, his eyes wide. Sandman crouched by his side, looking concerned as he tried to diagnose the problem. He looked at North with a solemn face, fearing the worst. North turned to Pitch, suddenly wishing he’d brought his swords.

“What did you do!”

“We were just training together, like normal! He told me if something like this happened to call for all of you,” he explained. Bunny slowly approached Jack, and Pitch could sense how terrified he was. He worried that his last interaction with Jack Frost would be that awful look of betrayal and fear as the sprite ran from him. He snatched his boomerangs out and whipped around to face Pitch. “Please, I meant no harm,” Pitch urged.

“Maybe I can revive him,” Tooth said, running through the spells she knew with Sandman. Sandy offered to sprinkle dream sand so they could see if Jack was just sleeping.

“You don’t think he’s dead, do ya?” Bunny looked at Sandman in shock.

“Well, he doesn’t seem to be breathing,” Tooth said slowly. North was too crushed by the possible blow of Jack’s death to be angry. He slumped and knelt beside Jack.

“Frost… please, come back to us…”

“Explain,” Bunnymund demanded, stomping up to Pitch. Tooth had her face in her hands as tears welled. Pitch rounded Bunny and approached Jack with the others, ignoring him and looking just as worried. He took a knee beside Jack and placed a hand on his chest with a growing smile as he pulled the darkness away from the sprite.

“I got it, Jack,” he said. Jack suddenly sprang to life, sitting up with an ear-to-ear grin as his color returned.

“What the-” Bunny jumped back, looking shocked. Tooth covered her mouth. Sandy leaned back, symbols flying over his head as he caught on. North looked furious.

“What is going on!”

“Did you get pictures!” Jack asked, flying fast circles around Pitch in excitement.

“No…”

“What! That was the whole point of-”

“I got video,” Pitch cut him off. A shadow formed from behind the dresser with a small camera held up.

“Oh, wow… that’s- Pitch, that’s fantastic!” Jack picked up the camera and stopped the recording, holding it close with a devilish grin.

“No, you were fantastic. I didn’t know you could hold still for that long.”

“I can’t! You didn’t say the spell would paralyze me!”

“I didn’t?” Pitch smirked. Sandy rose up between everyone, making small explosions of sand to get their attention. Jack landed in front of him.

“I’m fine. It was just a joke. Look, I wanted to get everyone together and just break the tension. We’ve all been walking on eggshells around each other- no offense, Bunny.”

“How- how is that not offensive!” Bunny snapped.

“So, I had Pitch help me play dead,” Jack finished. He looked around, expecting everyone to start laughing. “Wow, tough crowd. C’mon, loosen up! I’m fine!” He flew around, pulling Sandy and Tooth both into a tight hug. Sandman looked at Pitch, surprised. As Jack tried to feel out the room and get everyone to smile, Sandy became lost in thought. The others had told him something was different about Jack, but he never observed it himself. He did see a change in Pitch, though. The dark spirit was smiling, joking, relaxed, and he wasn’t surrounded by shadows. He was almost full form with hardly any shadows around his feet. Pitch wasn’t making Jack darker, Sandy thought; Jack was making Pitch lighter. Sandman interrupted the arguing that had erupted by projecting his thoughts loudly to everyone. The Guardians fell quiet as they listened to Sandman laughing like a fool in a voice they rarely ever heard. Sandman’s mental laughter was contagious, even more so when Jack made it snow in the room with a tap of his staff. North and Tooth started laughing as flakes landed on their faces, sparking fun in their eyes. Bunny held it in, fighting a smile. Pitch chuckled softly. Once everyone calmed, Jack explained the prank.

“Last night, I had Pitch send some shadows out to the tech room of the Workshop so no one would happen to see us out and about, and he retrieved a camera. Then, we invented a spell combining cold and dark magic to make me look dead. I didn’t know it would literally paralyze me, but it worked pretty well.”

“Unbelievably so. Wait until you see yourself in the video. It looked terrifying for me, and I knew what we were doing,” Pitch said with a smug look.

“You thought that faking dead with Pitch was a good idea?” Bunny shouted. North waved him off before the argument started up again.

“Hey, was all in good fun, right?” North patted Jack on the back.

“Of course,” he shrugged.

“What time is…” North looked around at the clock. “Why don’t you join us for dinner?” Tooth nodded in agreement.

“North had the yetis cooking and baking all day, hoping we could get you to come out for some food,” she added. Jack looked back at Pitch.

“Yes,” North said before Jack could ask. “Pitch is welcome as well.” A look of surprise crossed multiple faces in the room.

“A group dinner. I feel underdressed,” Jack joked. Pitch noticed a slight shift in his demeanor, a strange sense of urgency. “We’ll be down in a bit,” he said, ushering everyone out of the room. “Gotta get cleaned up.” As soon as the door shut behind them, Jack slumped to the floor. His smile was gone.

“Jack?” Pitch rushed over.

“I don’t feel good… I’m starting to think that spell was a bad idea,” he muttered, looking like he was going to be sick.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“I don’t usually feel… cold. But I do.” He flexed his hands, shivering lightly. “And I’m really tired… I feel… empty-ish?” He tried to explain. Pitch’s eyes widened.

“Hold still.” He placed a hand on Jack’s chest and the other on his back. Jack gasped and grabbed desperately at Pitch’s wrist as a dark, inky shadow was drawn from his body. Jack felt like he couldn’t breathe as Pitch pulled away, siphoning the darkness from the frost sprite. Right before he thought he might pass out, the shadow detached, and he took a loud, frantic breath. Pitch tossed the shadow away in a ball with his other ones and leaned forward to catch Jack.

“Okay, okay, breathe…”

“What happened?” Jack panted heavily.

“The spell must’ve made you vulnerable. I thought I removed all the darkness, but you must have attracted more while you were under. I’m sorry.”

“Is that what you feel like? All the time?”

“Sort of. I’m used to it, though,” Pitch said, trying to brush it off.

“That was… so awful… I’m so sorry,” Jack mumbled, looking up with sympathy in his eyes.

“Now you see why I’m frustrated they think that you’re infected with darkness. If you had my darkness inside you, you would know. They would know without a doubt,” Pitch said, drawing Jack in closer. “We’ll not be doing any more spells like that. I won’t risk it.”

“You sound like you care,” Jack smirked, enjoying how it felt to be held so tightly.

“Shut up, you annoying little brat,” Pitch said through a smile he buried in Jack’s frosty hair.

“Booger-man,” Jack muttered.

“Get cleaned up for dinner.” Pitch dropped him and walked away.

“Aw, come on… that was nice!”

“No, you ruined the moment,” Pitch said, a smile still in his eyes as he folded his hands behind his back.

“You get cleaned up,” Jack mocked.

“I’m not dirty-” He got a snowball to the face as he turned to Jack.

“Ha ha!” Pitch wiped his face, telling himself to be the bigger person and let Jack play. No amount of darkness could ever snuff a light that bright, he thought as Jack joked around and fixed his clothes and hair for dinner with the Guardians. He thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a while ago, I mentioned that I wanted the timeline of this story to match up with the real life timeline, what with the Frost Moon, lunar phases, and holidays. We're almost there! Chapter 32 will be up tomorrow, the 18th. Then, right around Christmas, lining up pretty closely with the events of the story, I'll be posting Chapters 33 through 37 as a holiday special! 
> 
> After that, the real-life timeline gets a little wonky, so I'll release on a more regular basis so you're not spamming that refresh button wondering if I'll post in three days or seven! Details to come- and I hope wherever you are, whatever you celebrate, that you have a wonderful holiday. And thank you for reading!


	32. Snowballs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for OVER 2000 HITS?!?!?!? WHAAAAT! <3<3<3

**Ch. 32- Snowballs**

“I’m nervous.”

“These are your friends. Why are you nervous? If anything, I should be nervous.”

“I just really want them to like you. I know that might be kind of lame to say…”

“I’m touched,” he said, not fully sincere. “Don’t worry. Just be yourself. If they don’t like something, that’s on them, not you,” Pitch reassured him.

“Thanks… do I look alright?” Jack had traded his blue frosted hoodie for one of the white, velvety long sleeves provided in the dresser.

“I can’t say you look formal because you go everywhere barefoot.”

“I don’t like shoes,” Jack said, shuffling his feet.

“But yes,” Pitch continued, “You look nice. Should go without saying.” Jack’s adorable glimmer made it worth saying, though.

“Do you think they know?” Jack asked as he went for the door.

“About what?”

“About us…” Jack walked through and pocketed the key, followed by Pitch.

“Bunnymund knows, and probably Sandman as well. I don’t think North or Toothiana have quite caught on yet. Why are you concerned about it?”

“I just feel awkward. I mean, I didn’t know how Bunny felt about me at all. I feel stupid.”

“Stop worrying. Make some pan pipes or something, find a way to relax.” Jack puffed his cheeks and released the breath slowly as he walked into the shop. North was out inspecting toys while he waited for Jack.

“Good timing. Take a look.” He led Jack over to another table where yetis were painting the new Hyperloop model trains.

“Wait, you’re actually using it?”

“I said I would. Is genius idea, Jack. The children are going to love it. And I found the perfect motor for the engine. The track switch is yeti-tested and even elf-proof,” North said proudly. A perfectly timed elf went flying through the air behind him on a toy train. “Mostly elf-proof,” he corrected.

“So cool… Can I have one?” Jack asked.

“Is that what you want for Christmas?”

“Mm, actually, no. Why don’t you surprise me?”

“I can do that.” North smiled at him. “Okay, let’s go eat!” He clapped his hands together and led them away. Pitch looked over the yetis’ shoulders as he passed, also impressed by Jack’s design. North took them to the grand dining hall where the others were already seated and the table was full of various dishes of festive, seasonal foods with a yule log in the center. “Help yourselves,” North said, encouraging everyone to get food.

“I never understood this. We have no need to eat,” Pitch muttered.

“Uh, I have no need to fly and I do it every day,” Jack said, floating up into the air. Pitch pulled out a seat for Jack and motioned for him to sit. Tooth noticed and covered her mouth, blushing. She’d figured out what was going on between them, but it was something different to pay attention and be able to see it now in their behavior. Jack tried to hide his own blush as he took the seat. Pitch sat next to him and used his shadows start picking out dishes that were too far to reach. Tooth watched Pitch pass things to Jack, making sure he had everything he wanted first before serving himself. His actions seemed completely out of character to her, and she realized she had never seen Pitch show compassion to anyone before- not that she’d seen him much since the Dark Ages anyway. It was shocking to her, but also… absolutely adorable. North and Sandman loaded their plates, while Bunny seemed a little too uncomfortable to eat.

“Which eggnog is the fun eggnog?” Jack asked, holding two brass pitchers and trying to decide what was different about them.

“No fun eggnog until party,” North said. “You know how it works.”

“Ugh, boring.” Jack poured himself a glass and offered it to Pitch.

“No, thank you, I prefer not to drink heavy cream,” he mocked quietly.

“You don’t like sweets at all, do you?”

“Not particularly.” He eyed Jack as the sprite chugged down his first glass and gave himself a hearty eggnog mustache.

“Hey, Bunny. I know I’ve been slacking with the snow this year, so I tell you what, I’ll make up for it in the spring,” Jack grinned at him.

“Don’t joke about that,” Bunny said, pointing a fork at him.

“Manners,” North scolded from the head of the table. Bunny put the fork down.

“You think I’m joking? I’m totally serious. How long has it been since the last serious Easter blizzard? Forty years?”

“Why don’t you stick to frosting over the holiday that’s associated with winter?” Bunny said, eyes narrowing.

“But see, everyone expects it. Those eggs are a lot easier to find on white snow than in colorful gardens.”

“That defeats the entire purpose!”

“And why do you hide the eggs, anyway? And what’s up with eggs? Bunnies don’t lay eggs,” Jack poked at him, hoping to get a rise. “Unless there’s something about you I don’t know.”

“Ne eto snova,” North muttered under his breath.

“I’ve explained this to you before. The eggs represent life,” Bunny started. Jack took small bites, all his attention focused on riling up Bunny. Sandman looked back and forth, recognizing quickly that Jack was trying to repair his relationship with Bunny the only way he knew how- making fun.

“Tooth, have you ever seen a bunny rabbit lay an egg?” Jack said loudly over Bunny trying to explain the symbolism. Tooth had been trying not to laugh to keep from upsetting Bunny but lost it when Jack pulled her into the conversation.

“I don’t want to think about that,” she chuckled. Pitch felt a little out of place but didn’t let it bother him. He was content watching and listening like Sandman. He did make a note that Jack looked good in warm, festive white, and his mind slowly started turning towards other thoughts. Whether out of his own mischievous tendencies or a contagious factor of being around Jack for so long, Pitch had a trouble-making idea as Jack teased at Bunnymund and started throwing out ideas for the next spring blizzard.

“How’s this then,” Jack offered, noticing how much it irritated Bunny each time he interrupted, “I’ll follow out one sector of eggs and bring the snow, and I’ll tell you what, I’ll make it so they’re hard to find even in flat white powder and ice.”

“You keep your frosty little fingers to yerself, mate! Bother with someone else’s holiday!”

“Maybe I could make my own eggs out of ice and see which ones the kids like better,” he teased. Jack flinched as he felt something brush his leg, and he glanced under the table for a moment. He figured it was just an elf or something.

“Who would want an egg made of ice? And there’s no color to it!”

“Someone who wants a cold drink?” Jack joked. He took a sharp inhale and froze a little as the next touch was heavier and more obvious. Pitch watched Jack from the corner of his eye, willing the shadows to caress him underneath the table. He took a sip of water each time his smile threatened to show and kept his face blank. Jack shoved a hand under the table and tried to push the semi-solid shadow out from between his legs.

“Now yer not makin’ any sense,” Bunny snapped.

“Uh- um-” Jack stammered as he lost his words.

“Hold on,” North said. “Jack could be onto something.”

“Mm-hm,” Jack agreed, his face slowly turning red as the shadow pressed hard against his crotch and rubbed in slow circles. As Pitch took another sip of water, Jack winked and froze the liquid solid around his lip. Pitch gave him a look that said “touché,” using his own quick spell to melt the water again after a moment. North had now engaged the conversation, encouraging Jack’s idea of a wintry Easter. Jack tried to hide his face in a huge bite of bread, but a small moan escaped him as the shadow slipped through his clothes and wrapped tightly around his length. He was very quickly aroused but panicking as he glanced around the table, fretting about if anyone could tell.

“It’s not like a winter Easter would be appropriate everywhere. There are plenty of places that aren’t supposed to receive snow,” Tooth added. “But maybe the colder locations could try-”

“N. O. No!” Bunny protested them both. Jack reached for his empty cup and regretted chugging it all down as it became difficult to disguise his heavy, shallow breaths. The shadow stroked him like a soft hand with languid motions. His hand shook lightly as he tried to take another bite, and the fork clattered to his plate as he lost grip, drawing attention.

“Are you okay, Jack?” Tooth asked. “You look a little red…”

“F-food’s hot,” Jack muttered, covering his mouth with a fist and gritting his teeth. He glanced at Pitch, sending a brief death glare his way only to be met with smug, glowing eyes.

“If you’re red just from hot food, the last thing you need is ‘fun’ eggnog,” North said like a parent.

“I don’t think Jack should be allowed any alcohol after last year’s party,” Bunny brought up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jack said, trying to be coy as he suffered through the growing pleasure. Things around him slowly started to frost over, as would happen when he and Pitch were in the act. Fern patterns of ice grew over his chair and bits of the table in front of him.

“You river-danced across the Workshop floor on an open keg of ale!” Bunny said.

“I cleaned it up, didn’t I?” Jack said, trying to adjust in his seat and pull away from the grip as the shadow started moving faster.

“The elves were drunk for a whole day after,” North muttered. “And the yetis smelled like beer for a while…”

“I remember the keg,” Tooth said, eyes wide. Sandman laughed silently with tinkling sounds of magic sand. He threw out a few symbols to the middle of the table to remind them all that Bunny had been drinking, too, and had spent part of the night dancing with a particularly smitten yeti.

“We agreed not to talk about that,” Bunny glared at him. Jack almost couldn’t take the torture anymore and needed a way out, fast. Little shadow hands caressed up and down his inner thighs, drawing heavier breaths from the sprite. Jack gripped his fork tightly as he concentrated, forming a growing ball of snow over Pitch’s head. North was the first to notice what was initially a snowball rotating and growing over the dark spirit. He looked at Jack, who gave him a quick finger to the lip to ask him to keep quiet about it.

“What do you think about drinking?” North asked Pitch, helping to keep him distracted.

“Hm? I don’t, often,” he said simply, surprised to be included in the conversation suddenly. He was more focused on keeping Jack writhing in his chair at the mercy of his shadows. Bunny was too irritated with Sandman now to see the snow, debating about if he or Jack had been more inebriated at last year’s party. Tooth didn’t notice until the slowly spinning ball of floating snow was the size of a yoga ball. She gave Jack a confused look and was about to ask right before Jack lifted it higher with his powers and dropped it on Pitch. His half of the table exploded in perfectly formed powder snow, and the shadows disappeared as Pitch lost concentration. Pitch blinked a few times, his fork halfway to his mouth post-impact. North erupted in hearty, gut-holding laughter. Tooth covered her mouth, giggling wildly. Bunny stared, wondering how Jack had summoned such a massive amount of snow without his staff. Sandman mimed taking a picture with a camera of dream sand. Jack breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted himself in his chair.

“Are you quite chuffed with yourself?” Pitch asked, brushing snow off with shadows and his cloth napkin.

“Very,” Jack answered with a wide grin.

“Shall we call it even for now?”

“Mm, don’t think so,” Jack shook his head. A few yetis brought in dessert platters and refilled pitchers. Jack cast an ice patch and made one slip and fall, dropping a large tray of cookies onto North’s lap. Jack laughed and pointed, nearly falling out of his chair.

“Jack!” North scolded. Pitch, now almost clear of the snow, couldn’t contain his own laugh. One of the star-shaped cookies had gotten hooked into North’s beard, making it look like an upside-down Christmas tree. Tooth glanced at Pitch as she giggled incessantly, pleasantly surprised by his laugh and relaxed presence. Jack reached for a tray of buckeye candies with mischief in his eyes. North called him out. “Ah-ah! Jack Frost, you start another food fight, I will make you clean shop for a week straight!”

“No fun,” Jack smirked, eating his handful of candies instead of throwing them.

“Another food fight?” Pitch asked, emphasis on ‘another.’

“Are you kidding me? He starts one every time we do this,” Bunny said, pointing at Jack, who threw his hands up with a smug look.

“It’s all fun and games until someone throws an elf,” Tooth said, rolling her eyes.

“Or until Sandy gets in on it and knocks us all out on accident,” Jack accused. Sandman gave him a shy look and held up two fingers as though to say, “it was only two times.” Pitch felt something strangely warm about being included, even if it meant taking an avalanche to the head. He filed the emotion away for later repression and possible analysis.

With Pitch no longer behind a magical barrier, though, the fearlings could finally sense him again. Several of his oldest were already making their way to Santoff Claussen to find him. Pitch wasn’t thinking about the fearlings or darkness, though. His focus was solely on Jack and keeping the sprite happy. Perhaps it wasn’t the purpose he’d set out to find, but it was satisfying, nonetheless. Watching Jack relax and interact with the Guardians, truly just being himself, was enough for Pitch. He mostly listened as their conversation turned to plans for the Christmas party, tuning in now and again if he was directly addressed or given a question. Not unnoticed by the others, though, Pitch’s focus was almost entirely on Jack for the whole meal.

Eventually, the table was cleared, and the Guardians slowly started turning in for the night, one at a time. First Sandy left to make a few rounds of dreams, then Tooth to check on her courier fairies, and then Bunny left to get some sleep, complaining about time zone differences. Pitch stood to leave when Jack did, but they were stopped by North.

“Pitch. Walk with me,” he said in a firm but friendly tone. Pitch was surprised and skeptical but agreed.

“Go on back to the room, Jack. I’ll be there in a bit.” Jack left reluctantly and went to the room to wait for Pitch, a little worried. After five minutes, he was bored. After ten minutes, he was concerned. After nearly an hour, Jack was ready to go looking for him. As he got up to go to the door and search for Pitch, the dark spirit walked in.

“You were with North for a while. What did you talk about?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” Pitch said slowly. “It was regarding Christmas, mostly. He made me give my word again I wouldn’t mess with the holiday this time around.”

“That can’t have been it,” Jack scoffed. He was back in his blue hoodie, playing with strings absently.

“Don’t worry about it.” Pitch closed the door behind himself, unaware of the fearling that had been just feet away from finding him. Jack lay on his back on the bed, his head hanging off the foot. He walked up to Jack and ran a hand up his hoodie and across his chest. Jack’s eyes drifted closed. “Would you like me to finish what I started earlier?” He whispered in Jack’s ear.

“Mm-hm,” Jack mumbled in a half-moaned breath.

“Use your words.”

“Yes, please,” Jack said, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Very well,” Pitch grinned as he slid off his cloak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >////////<


	33. And Fun Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I'd upload this a little early~ enjoy!

**Ch. 33- And Fun Times**

This time, Pitch made a point of facing Jack as they coupled. Almost every time before had been frantic and desperate, with Jack’s face in a cushion and his body on display for Pitch. But as Jack tried to roll over onto his stomach, Pitch stopped him.

“Not this time. I want you to look at me this time,” Pitch said, running long-fingered hands up Jack’s sides and watching his face twist with desire.

“It’s embarrassing…,” Jack muttered.

“What is?” Pitch asked as he kissed across Jack’s chest.

“The way you look at me…”

“Do I sense fear?” Pitch whispered up by his ear.

“No,” Jack said with an impish smile. Pitch made sure to catalogue every detail of Jack’s face, especially his eyes, as he slowly seduced the sprite’s willing body. A deft hand on his hardening length, shadows caressing every sensitive bit of skin, a few fingers stretching him open carefully. Jack tried to cover his face at one point, red with deep blush all the way down to his chest. Pitch wouldn’t allow it. His shadows wrapped around Jack’s wrists and held his arms over his head.

“Don’t hide from me.” Jack’s breath hitched as he let Pitch work his body, feeling like he might float away if he were released suddenly. Pitch watched Jack’s eyes as he lined up and started to press in. The hunger and submission he found there fueled Pitch like gasoline to a raging fire. Holding back was the hardest part. He maintained control by busying himself with learning the curves and definition of Jack’s body, fingers trailing and leaving shadows behind to massage and play. He particularly loved how Jack would arch when he found the right spot, tightening down on his own length.

Love. Pitch reflected for a moment, wondering why that word, of all words, had come to mind. He could accept that he cared for Jack now. He knew the sprite had a definite effect on him that, if removed, would leave cold, destructive emptiness in its wake. But love? Was that even something he was capable of? Perhaps that was what North had been hinting at in their discussion earlier. He forced the thoughts away as he grabbed Jack’s hips and started thrusting into him passionately. Wary of the thin walls, Pitch regrettably covered Jack’s loud moans with another shadow wrap. “You need to control that voice.”

“Mmmrr,” Jack groaned, writhing and trying to get Pitch to hit the right spot. Pitch ran a hand down Jack’s thigh and lifted his leg, leading Jack to wrap them around his waist. He shivered a little at the cold skin on his own, but it only turned him on more. Jack tugged at the shadows on his wrists, wanting his arms back. Pitch noticed, but he also knew if Jack really wanted to, he could get out of it himself. His eyes seem to share that challenge with Jack wordlessly. Jack accepted and started working on freezing the shadows that bound him. He lost concentration as Pitch pulled all the way out and slammed back in, thumbs digging deep into his hips. Jack was suddenly grateful for the shadow keeping him quiet as his scream stayed buried in his throat. Pitch wished he could have a photograph to keep forever of Jack’s deep, glacial eyes blown wide and glowing with magic at the feeling of being touched just right. He did consider the camera sitting in the corner of the room, but he didn’t actually want to use it. No pictures, no videos. He wanted nothing that anyone else could ever use to see Jack like this. This side of Jack Frost was something only Pitch laid claim to- the arousal staining his body in different, uncharacteristically warm colors; the hunger darkening the color in his eyes; the matted mess of hair sticking up around his head; and above all, the sounds he made. Pitch could liken it to nothing he’d ever heard, and he couldn’t wait to get Jack back to Nightfall where he could make the sprite scream with pleasure, unrestrained, and hear it echoing down the stone halls.

The more intimate position had worked Jack up a lot faster than usual. His ankles were locked behind Pitch’s back, back arching off the bed. When Pitch leaned forward, Jack could grind his length against the other’s firm abdomen, making him tighten up in response. He gasped in relief as he broke through the shadows on his wrists and mouth suddenly, and he wrapped his arms around Pitch’s neck. He used this new leverage to grind back onto Pitch in time with his rhythm, and Pitch let him take what he wanted.

“I’m close,” Jack muttered, reigniting the already-raging fire inside Pitch.

“Wait for me,” Pitch said, doubling his efforts. He pressed Jack into the bed as he leaned over him and grabbed his length in one hand. He stroked Jack quickly in time with his more frantic thrusts. He didn’t stop when Jack came; instead, he kept driving hard and fast into the sprite, watching Jack unravel with overstimulation and a mess of pleasure on his stomach. Jack whimpered as Pitch dug deep into him for his own climax, his eyes full of need and gratitude. Pitch leaned down next to Jack, panting softly. “You didn’t freeze things this time,” he noted after a moment. Jack came down from it quickly, having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

“You told me not to freeze you,” he reminded Pitch.

“I did,” Pitch said, stroking his cheek with a few knuckles. “Your burns look a little better than before. They’re finally healing.”

“I think they make me look badass,” Jack muttered, taking deeper breaths.

“Honestly, I think so, too,” Pitch said with a small smile. “Get some sleep, Jack.”

“Mm... when I wake up, you gotta tell me what you want for Christmas,” Jack mumbled.

“You won’t remember asking,” he chuckled softly.

“Will too…”

“You asked me once already.”

“I did…?”

“Yes.”

“What did you say?” Pitch waited until Jack’s eyes were closed and his breathing was steadier to answer him again.

“I want you.” Pitch laid with him for a few minutes longer before pulling away and cleaning them both up carefully. He went to the mirror and thought about his conversation with North. Love was not an emotion he could afford. Companionship, family… they were all things he wanted, sure, but he had never been successful in trying to find them. The repetitive cycle of effort, defeat, and pain was too much to want to keep trying.

 _“I will ask you same thing I asked Jack Frost when he was chosen to be a Guardian and refused. What is your center?”_ He remembered North’s question and stared into his reflection.

 _“We both know the answer to that. Fear and darkness,”_ he had responded.

_“Jack’s powers include freezing things. But that doesn’t mean his center is ice. He decided it was fun. Just like my center is not making toys. It is the meaning behind the toys.”_

_“You cannot compare me to any of you. I’m not like you. I don’t guard the children. I don’t care about the children.”_ Though as he’d told North this, he had remembered the feeling of saving Lilac and bringing her back home safely. _“I can’t care about them,”_ he’d said, trying to convince himself as well.

 _“You care about Frost. I didn’t believe it before, but I see it now.”_ Pitch looked back at Jack. He had one arm up, hair mussed, mouth hanging open with a thin line of drool forming… He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. There had been a long silence between Pitch and North at that point in the conversation. Pitch had gazed out the window into the Arctic night where snow and darkness played together in the powerful wind. The Man in the Moon was nowhere to be seen. _“Man in Moon will be here in time for Christmas, for a brief meeting. I expect you to tell him the truth about you and Jack, about your change of heart, and hopefully, your center.”_ North had pointed to Pitch’s chest, making him feel suddenly vulnerable. The Man in the Moon would be joining them soon, and he wasn’t sure he or Jack would be ready in time. Pitch crossed the room and sat next to Jack, stroking his hair lightly.

“Maybe I don’t need a center. But I do need you, little sprite.”

The days leading up to Christmas and the party flew by quickly. The door to the room stayed open most of the time, and Jack helped with toy designs and decorations. Pitch mostly kept to himself, observing and following Jack around. He had noticed that several of the fearlings had found him, but all he did was warn them not to be seen by the others. North had laid down the law during their conversation, demanding that Pitch keep his minions under control and that he keep this internal knowledge of Santoff Claussen to himself. Pitch had agreed, but with careful wording and incomplete sincerity. He didn’t care for North’s approach to things. He only cared that Jack was happy right now. With the key in hand and Pitch free to roam about, Jack had taken a few portals to various parts of the world to grant last-minute wishes for snow days and white Christmases that Sandman had heard in childrens’ dreams. Sometimes Pitch would accompany him, watching him play with the children, and sometimes, he stayed behind to look after the fearlings and make sure they didn’t get into trouble.

Christmas eve, the Workshop was a buzzing hive of activity, and Pitch mostly stayed in the room to keep out of the way. Jack had decided it would be best to stay away from the factory so he wouldn’t be tempted to mess with anyone, so he was somewhere bringing snow to wishful young hearts. Pitch took this opportunity to brainstorm a gift for Jack. He never cared about Christmas and couldn’t remember ever participating, but for Jack’s sake, maybe it was time for a good one. While he was lost in his work, scribbling notes and sketches, three fearlings chased a terrified little elf into the room.

“What did I tell you about being seen?” Pitch growled, knocking a backhand through one of the fearlings who cowered, lost form from the impact, and reformed. The elf tried to run away, but Pitch grabbed him up in one hand and closed the door. “I can’t have you running off telling North about the fearlings,” he told the elf with dangerously empty eyes. He eyed the fearlings. “You don’t deserve a reward for this, but I’m not hungry and I don’t see much choice. I can’t break North’s trust with Christmas so close and Jack so happy…” He tossed the elf back and forth between his hands like a tennis ball, enjoying its little squeaks of fear. “It would break Jack’s heart if he found out I hurt you,” he told the elf, who looked like he was going to be sick. He turned to the fearlings that were clawing at his feet like hungry pups. “Fine. Have your ket. Be seen again and I’ll do you in without a second thought.” He glared them down. The fearlings believed Pitch had become softer ever since making the deal with Jack Frost, but he reclaimed his authority with a snap of his fingers, erasing one of the three from existence. The fearling exploded in a small burst of darkness with a shrill squeal, leaving a dark stain on the floor. The other two stared at the stain, frozen in shock. Pitch got their attention back by holding the elf upside down over the remaining two and shaking him so his little hat jingled. They quickly forgot about their fallen comrade and welcomed the elf with sharp, black teeth. “Now, bugger off and stay hidden!” He hissed at them. Pitch never needed to raise his voice to get a point across; his tone alone sent them scrambling under the beds. Pitch looked at the scraps of clothes that remained from the elf and picked them off the floor, getting an idea for Jack’s gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for the next upload, a two-part double feature in Ch. 34 and 35, on Christmas Eve!
> 
> Santoff Claussen is the canon name for a village in Siberia made for those with big dreams and imaginations, and it is also where North set up shop for creating Christmas. It's far more complicated than that in the books, but all you need to know here is that it's used as the name of the village and Work Shop almost interchangeably. 
> 
> Here's the link if you really want to get into the weeds with the lore (potential spoilers): https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/Santoff_Claussen


	34. Christmas Eve, Part I

**Ch. 34- Christmas Eve, Part I**

Pitch quickly shoved the dresser drawer closed as he heard a portal spell being opened. Jack had returned late into the night. He landed on the floor, crouching, and held his hand up to catch his staff as it came out of the portal behind him.

“Now _that_ was fun,” he grinned.

“You missed the countdown,” Pitch said, walking around the bed.

“I did?”

“Yes. North is nearly at the dateline, according to the last update I heard. Gift giving and merriment are right on schedule,” he said with sarcastic jazz-hands. Jack chuckled and hung up the staff.

“That’s good. I’m a little beat. I was following Sandy, planting snow seeds in the clouds for everyone who was wishing for it.”

“Snow seeds? Is this a power you already told me about?”

“Maybe?” Jack hopped on the bed and started jumping on the mattress like a child.

“Get your bare, dirty feet off the bed until you’ve washed up,” Pitch scolded.

“Oh, please, like we use this one.” He did a belly-flop and grabbed a pillow for his head. “But yeah, snow seeds are these.” He held a hand up and conjured a small, glowing blue ball of ice. “I put it inside a cloud, and it attracts water and drops the temperature, basically creates the perfect conditions for a snowstorm. The bigger the seed, the faster the snow happens.”

“A delayed storm,” Pitch summarized. “Interesting. Any other powers we haven’t discussed yet?”

“Oh! That reminds me! I stopped by to see how Lilac and her family were doing.” Pitch’s emotions shifted as Jack sat up. “My spell wore off, probably as soon as we were captured, but they seem to be okay. Ish.”

“Your spell?”

“I think I forgot to tell you what happened because you were having such a touching moment with her,” he said, squeezing his pillow. “I found out I can do more than just inspire fun in people with the glowing snow. I can…” He waved his hands back and forth, trying to find the right words. “I can kind of… control them?”

“How so?” Pitch shadow-shifted to the armchair and sat down.

“I shot her dad in the head with frost, but it left behind these weird, blue strings. Anything I said or did, he did,” Jack explained. “He… he was about to hit her mom. Full fist and everything,” Jack said, hugging the pillow close to his chest. “But with the strings, I was able to get to him to stop. I calmed him down and made him promise to take them to the park instead.”

“Show me,” Pitch said.

“Uh… I’ve only done it that one time. And… on who? I don’t think the Guardians would agree to that.” Pitch shifted back and forth and then grabbed one of the fearlings out from under the bed.

“Here.”

“What are they doing here!” Jack jumped back, floating into the air.

“Hush. They followed me when the magical barriers weren’t blocking us off. There’s no witnesses. It’s fine.” Pitch sent a shadow to cover the door in case anyone burst in.

“North would freak out if he knew they were here.”

“I told him I wouldn’t let them come, but these ones were already here looking for me when I said that…”

“Can’t be helped, I guess,” Jack eased back to the bed. “You think it’ll work on the fearling?”

“Worth a shot.” Jack tried to remember how he felt in that moment as he got up and grabbed his staff.

“Just hold still, little guy. It won’t hurt.” Jack pointed the staff at the fearling who crouched down and hissed at him in response. He thought about what fun thing he wanted the fearling to do and fired off a shot of frost. The fearling resisted at first, rolling across the bed like it was on fire, and then it stopped. Jack pulled his hand back slowly and watched the blue strings form in mid-air, connecting him to the fearling. “Whoa,” he smiled. “Let’s see…” Jack wiggled his fingers and the fearling jumped off the bed and onto the floor. It started freestyle dancing and spinning, its beady little eyes sparkling as though it wanted nothing more than to keep dancing. Jack laughed and made the fearling copy his movements, moonwalking across the room.

“Fascinating,” Pitch said. “I wonder if these can be affected physically.” He reached out and tried to grab at the strings, but they vanished as his fingers passed through them. They reappeared untouched as he pulled his hand back. “Jack, this is an incredible power. I can’t tell you what I would have done with something like this… we need to test the limitations of this.”

“I think it works as long as the thing I want them to do is something fun,” Jack said, making the fearling twirl in circles.

“Lot of gray area there. Is it things you think are fun, or things the subject would think are fun?”

“That’s a good point. I’m not sure.” Pitch’s mind wandered back to Lilac and her family.

“How was the girl?”

“Okay, I think. I didn’t let her see me. She had drawings of you on the wall, though,” Jack smiled. “I think she misses you.”

“Nonsense. I’m the boogeyman. Children fear me,” Pitch scoffed.

“Not this one. She’s just afraid of her father, I think,” Jack said, looking solemn. “Everything seemed peaceful enough when I visited, but… I don’t know. Those kinds of households always bothered me. I get too wrapped up in trying to fix something I can’t.”

“You try so hard to make everyone happy,” Pitch said, running his hand through Jack’s hair and letting it rest on his cheek. “Which is why… I’d like to make you happy.” He ran a finger down his nose and poked it. He turned away and went back to the dresser. “I have something for you.”

“You do? What is- oh.” Jack was a little surprised when Pitch pulled a wrapped box out of the dresser. “You-? You got me… a Christmas present? But! But I don’t have anything for you! I thought you hated Christmas!” Pitch let Jack panic for a moment, watching him dart around the room. “I- I would have got you something, or made you something, or-!” Pitch grabbed Jack out of the air by his hoodie and then tossed him on the bed with the help of a shadow.

“Relax. I don’t enjoy Christmas. In fact, I can’t remember ever participating before, but… this was different. And you don’t need to worry about me.”

“I didn’t even ask what you wanted…” Jack pouted, kneeling on the bed.

“You did. Several times. You just don’t remember because you always asked about two seconds before you passed out.” Pitch stepped closer and lifted his chin with a finger. “I have what I want already.” Jack blushed as he started to get lost in Pitch’s eyes.

“Corny,” he scoffed under his breath as he pulled away. Pitch handed him the box. “Well, I can’t open it yet. It’s not Christmas.”

“I’m ordering you to open it early. Besides, I think you’ll want it for the party later.”

“Since when do I listen to the likes of you?” Jack crossed his arms.

“Fine, I’ll open it for you,” Pitch smirked. Jack snatched it away from him and jumped to the other bed. “That’s what I thought.” Jack tore into the paper, tossing shreds away, and opened the box with childlike enthusiasm.

“Wow…” Jack pulled out a long, white hooded cloak. The cloak itself was light, airy, and soft, but made of a thick, warm, velvety material. The entire trim was fluffy, white fur, and edges of the lining were shimmering silk. Jack ran his hand down the material, feeling little designs of silk that he couldn’t see in the dim light of the room.

“Now for the real test,” Pitch said. “Add some frost to it,” he encouraged. Jack looked at him with excitement and then looked back at the cloak. He placed his palm down and cast his signature fern patterns, but instead of collecting the frost, the cloak started to glow. Beads of yellow and swirls of bluish light spread across the fabric in response to his magic. Pitch felt his heart swell as Jack’s face lit up like the cloak, the lights reflected beautifully in his eyes.

“Oh,” Jack gasped as he traced the swirls of light with a finger. He leapt off the bed and pulled it on in front of the mirror. The cloak wrapped around his shoulders like a cape with a fancy tie in the middle. The large hood lay across his shoulders, the fur soft on his neck, and it ran long enough to drape behind him elegantly on the floor. “Pitch… how did you do this?” He turned, still admiring the cloak.

“A simple mage light spell cast with adhesion and imprinting. It’ll only respond to your magic now that you’ve activated it. It’s really not much, I just put it together today-” Pitch stopped when Jack jumped up and hugged him tightly, floating a little.

“I love it…” He hooked his hands behind Pitch’s neck as he hovered back to the floor slowly, looking up at the taller spirit with pure joy in his eyes. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad. White suits you. I noticed at dinner the other night.” Jack blushed. He opened his mouth as though to say something and then bailed from it. Pitch waited for Jack to decide if he wanted to say it anyway, as would sometimes happen. He was used to the sprite talking faster than he could think and catching himself like this all the time.

“I… I think I do have something for you. But you can’t have it yet.”

“I’m patient,” Pitch said. He hadn’t realized his hands were on Jack’s waist until a knock came at the door. Pitch released him and removed the shadows. Jack went to get it, finding Tooth at the door.

“Hello- oh! Wow, Jack…”

“I know, right!” He spun around in the cloak, grabbing the sides to show it off.

“Uh, Sandy sent me down to get you. North just passed the dateline, so he’s about halfway done. We’re going to finish setting up the party if you wanted to join us. You, too,” she said to Pitch.

“Sure.” Jack nodded and followed her out. Pitch lingered for a moment, closing his eyes to seal in the memory of Jack’s happiness. The winter sprite had grown on him like a beautiful, deadly vine, choking the life and spirit out of him slowly, but making him enjoy it all the while. He dreaded the idea of losing Jack and followed them, deciding at that moment that he would do anything to keep Jack happy. He decided in that moment that he was most definitely, certainly, foolishly, dangerously, irrationally, and whole-heartedly in love with Jack Frost. Now, he needed to know with all of his being if Jack loved him back.


	35. Christmas Eve, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve everyone, hope you're enjoying your holidays, whatever you celebrate, and hope you're also enjoying the double-upload!

**Ch. 35- Christmas Eve, Part II**

The main factory floor had been fully cleared. It was now an open space with wooden floors and a huge, domed glass ceiling. They stood one floor below the globe room where, just years before, Man in the Moon had chosen Jack Frost to be a Guardian. The globe glowed golden yellow with children’s belief, lighting the whole dome above. Everything was already decorated with trees and tinsel and stars and lights. All that remained to be set up were the dancefloor and snack bar.

“Won’t North need to rest after his flight?” Pitch asked Jack quietly, wondering why everyone was rushing around.

“I thought the same thing when I came the first time.” Jack used a cold breeze to roll out a festive area rug that smelled ever so faintly of last year’s ale. “But North is delivering gifts. He’s actively charging children’s belief, so he’s gonna come back so over-energized I can hardly keep up with him. He’ll get this surge that’ll last through the next couple days.” Pitch considered it wise, then, that he had never gone through with past plans to attack the village and Workshop while North was gone on Christmas Eve. Jack looked over at a couple arguing yetis holding the kegs of ale and cider. “Hey, hey, what’s going on?” He flew over. They gestured, seeming to blame each other, and Jack figured out that there was no way to keep the drinks cold. “Oh, fellas, come on. I got this,” he said with a proud smile. He cracked his knuckles and cast a huge keg fountain out of ice. It had a spot on top for each barrel, with long spouts of ice for the drinks to travel down and a bar at the bottom for people to fill their mugs. “Get some thin piping and valves, and I’ll help you hook it up to the kegs.”

“Very clever,” Pitch praised.

“Fancy,” Bunny said, rolling out a cart of snacks.

“Thanks!” Sandman came out with a huge black box on a table with wheels. He gestured to Jack and motioned for him to come over. “What’s up?” Sandman glanced over the cloak and gave him a thumbs-up to say it looked nice. “It was a gift,” Jack said with a little blush. Sandman pointed to the box and then cast a dream sand outfit of chain necklaces, thick layered jackets, and a headset over a snapback on himself. He floated over the table and mimed scratching discs. “You’re going to DJ the party?” Jack laughed. “Cool!” Sandman shook his head and flew back down in his normal golden garb, pointing with both hands at Jack. “What, me?” Sandman nodded and had the yetis open the boxes. They set up two large speakers, the table on a platform, and a computer with a headset.

“Life of the party, why not?” Bunny said as he walked past again to get another snack table.

“Sweet!” Jack did a backflip up onto the platform, giddy with excitement. He started getting playlists set up and put the headphones around his neck. Pitch smiled in response to Jack’s infectious joy, but it fell away as he noticed that more fearlings had found him. He shadow-shifted into the dark hall and gathered them away into the darkness, scolding them almost silently. As the Guardians finished setting up, Pitch got control of the fearlings and stuffed them under a table in the corner with a containment spell.

“Too cramped? Too bad. You should have thought about that before you disobeyed me,” he hissed. Jack appeared in front of him.

“Who you talkin’ to?” Pitch jumped a little. Jack was taking off the cloak.

“A few more fearlings. I won’t let them out, though. Don’t worry.” Jack shrugged.

“Okay. I’m gonna leave this here with you so I don’t mess it up going between the dancefloor and the DJ booth,” he said, putting the cloak on the back of a chair. Suddenly, a tidal wave of elves erupted and headed down the hall away from the factory floor. “North must be back,” Jack smiled. “I’m gonna go see if they need help!”

“Alright.” Pitch kicked a fearling in the face as it tried to claw pathetically at his ankle.

North returned to much fanfare and celebration. He seemed larger than life with bright eyes and a brighter smile. Even his beard seemed to shimmer with white light. The yetis rushed to get the reindeer to their stables to rest, and others pushed the sleigh into its maintenance bay. The Guardians greeted him and led him down to the factory floor, now the dancefloor, as he related a tale of a freak snowstorm that he swore was Jack’s doing.

“No idea what you’re talking about. You know, not all the snow in the world is my fault,” he laughed. “I was here, setting up a killer playlist.” The elves bugled his arrival. North scooped Jack into a back-crushing hug with a laugh.

“This looks wonderful! Ah, gifts first. Then dancing!” He said, clapping for the yetis to bring in his gift bag. He handed out a gift to each Guardian, including Jack. “This is for both you and Pitch,” North said quietly. “I hope you don’t mind sharing, but I thought it would mean more this way.” Jack motioned for Pitch to join him, and he shadow-shifted to Jack’s side.

“Yes?”

“He said it’s for both of us.”

“Open it then,” Pitch said, running a hand over his head. Jack tore it open carefully and emptied the tissue paper pouch into his palm. A lump of coal rolled out.

“It’s a… dirty rock?”

“It’s coal,” Pitch scoffed. The others looked over and started giggling quietly. Jack tried to disguise his disappointment, but he was quickly lifted by the laughter of the other Guardians. Even being the butt of joke, their happiness was enough for him.

“So much for the Nice list,” he smirked. North laughed and slapped his shoulder heavily.

“Is not just a joke, Frost.” North placed his hand over the coal. “At first look, is dirty rock, yes. But sometimes, dirty rock brings warmth and energy to those who need it.” He lifted his hand, and the coal was on fire in Jack’s hand, but it wasn’t burning him. Jack stared, wide-eyed. North covered it again. “And with time and pressure… it turns into…” Jack gasped as North pulled his hand back again to reveal a golf-ball sized diamond with flawless facets. “Something beautiful.”

“Whoa! How did…” North winked. Jack held it up to Pitch. “Look how it catches the light.”

“Yes…” Pitch wasn’t looking at the diamond, though. He was looking at how Jack’s eyes caught the light, instead. “May I?” He asked, finally peeling his eyes away. Jack handed it to him, and Pitch rolled it between his palms. When he revealed the gemstone again, it had a cord of black shadow wrapped around it with a thin net to keep it attached. “Now some frost.” Jack held his hand over it and cast some of his glowing frost magic. It adhered to the shadows and solidified, and Pitch lifted the new necklace and placed it around Jack’s neck. “It suits you.” Tooth nearly melted watching the sweet moment the two were sharing. North handed out gifts to the others as Jack admired the gem.

“Cool,” Jack said, running his fingers over it. He cleared his throat and took a step back. “Now! I have to get this party started!” He flew over to the platform and started up the music, first with some Black Eyed Peas. Pitch shook his head and went back to the table. Sandman offered a dance to Tooth with a tip of a dream sand hat. Bunny went over to the snack bar as some of the yetis moved towards the dancefloor. North took center stage, showing off his sudden, burning energy. Pitch looked between the globe and the Guardians. Each one looked powerful and reenergized- not just North. It was intimidating, but he tried to ignore that feeling. Jack set some songs to auto-play and hopped down from the platform.

“Good work so far,” Bunny said as Jack joined him at the bar.

“Thanks! I think I can pump even more fun into this party, though.” Jack got two mugs and filled them both with ale from his ice fountain.

“Careful, Jack,” Bunny warned as the sprite bounced off to share his bounty.

“What are you up to?” Pitch asked, taking the drink Jack offered him.

“You said you wanted to see me drunk. It’ll take me at least three of these, so I gotta get started.”

“Well, now I’m excited,” Pitch said with a dangerous smile. Jack grabbed his arm.

“Come dance!”

“No.” He didn’t budge.

“Please?”

“I will have one slow dance with you. Later. Go have some fun with your friends first.” He shooed Jack away. Jack grunted in disappointment.

“Alright, fine. I’ll be back for that dance.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Pitch said, sipping the ale. Jack ran back to the dancefloor and jumped in with Toothiana and Sandman, trading off between them. Bunny was trying to work up his own dancing courage through a mug of cider. Pitch considered making a portal to send the fearlings back, but he knew they would just find him again. He settled for staying at the table a bit longer. He could send them home before his dance with Jack and give them both a little more time.

North clapped and got the yetis to join him in a traditional Kalinka dance. They claimed the dancefloor. Jack laughed as the large man and his yetis dropped low and kicked in beat like spry children. Jack lined up across from North to challenge him but was pushed back off the floor by North twisting and jumping over his own legs.

“Hah! You need more dancers!” He laughed, crossing his arms as he stood for the kick-line. Jack raised a brow.

“Oh?” He twirled his staff around and blasted a wave of frost at about a dozen elves behind himself. Pitch recognized the spell and leaned forward, intrigued but concerned.

“Jack…,” he whispered in warning. Jack tossed the staff up into the DJ booth so both hands were free and spread out his fingers, revealing the puppet string spell. He led the elves with blue lines of magic in a fast-paced footwork dance, controlling their movements. North took a step back, giving Jack the floor with a shocked look. Tooth, Sandman, and Bunny slowly stopped what they were doing to watch Jack and his dance with the elves. He used the puppet strings to have them dance around him in a circle then do fancy flips off each other. North knew his elves were far too clumsy to do that on their own. Both Pitch and the fearlings could sense growing trepidation in the Guardians, trickling into fear. Jack slid out on his knees with a small burst of snow as the song ended, and he released the elves. “How’s that for a dance team!” He said proudly.

“What was that?” North asked, eyeing him. Jack felt the sudden shift in the mood.

“It- it’s something I figured out kind of recently,” he said, standing. “Pitch and I were protecting this little girl, and her father was being … abusive… so I stopped him and convinced him to have fun instead.” Pitch stood, ready to intervene if he needed to.

“Jack,” North said firmly. “We don’t use magic like that. Especially not on humans. You should know better.” Pitch shadow-shifted to Jack’s side.

“He doesn’t understand it could be used for bad things, North,” he insisted.

“But you do?” North said, glaring at Pitch. “Why is he learning these kinds of things, anyway!” Pitch put both hands out, trying to calm him down.

“I can sense that you’re afraid. Jack’s been training and learning the extent of his powers. There’s no reason to be scared and certainly no reason to punish him for that. I’ll talk to him.” Pitch pulled him away before North could protest. Sandman didn’t think it was that big a deal, so he floated up to the DJ booth and set a few festive songs to ease the mood.

“What was that all about? I didn’t do anything wrong!” Jack said. Pitch refilled their mugs at the bar and put one in Jack’s hand.

“Drink. Relax. People always fear what they don’t understand. And right now, this room is full of dangerous energy. They’re still nervous. Afraid.” He swirled the drink in his mug. “Stir the pot and you might toss something into the fire.” Jack watched Pitch looking around the room, feeling out everyone’s fear and worries.

“I didn’t think it was wrong…”

“It was a little wrong,” Pitch shook his head. “In their eyes. I thought it was cute and talented. North has a point about controlling people, though. It’s a powerful and dark magic if used that way.” Jack was already halfway through his second mug, and Pitch’s comment about him being cute hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“The elves seemed to have fun,” he muttered, still feeling bitter. Pitch took the mug from him once it was nearly empty and filled it again.

“Either you’re right and it does take a lot to get you sloshed, or you’re not a relaxed drunk.”

“Both of those are true,” Jack smirked.

“Take a short break and then rejoin them.” Pitch went back to the table and slammed a fist on it to keep the fearlings down, contained by his cage of shadows. Jack sipped his third mug, not wanting it to hit too hard. Sandman floated over to ask if he was okay.

“Yeah, I guess. I was just trying to have fun.” Sandman grabbed some small apples and juggled them to cheer up Jack, getting a bit of laughter when he dropped a couple on his own head. He gave Jack a reassuring smile and gestured for him to put some better party music on. “You got it.” He went back to the DJ booth and set up a folksy playlist for North and the yetis. The more playful music also drew Bunny to the dancefloor, finally, and the pause in the party seemed to fade into nonexistence.

However, as the night turned into the wee hours of the morning, the rest of the Workshop still had a schedule to keep. At two o’clock, it was time to take accountability and make sure no elves were hurt or lost in gift delivery, and make sure the yetis were present and keeping a good sleep rotation. Twenty minutes passed and a single elf was still unaccounted for. Jack was back on the dancefloor with North like nothing had happened, until one of the yetis pulled North aside.

“What? Can’t find… he’s probably sleeping somewhere. Check again. Where’s his buddy?” North asked, wanting to get back to the party. The yeti pointed to a sad little elf. North took a knee, and Pitch’s eyes grew wide as he started to pick up on what was happening. He motioned urgently for Jack, who flew over to him.

“What’s up?”

“We might have a problem. I… neglected to tell you about a small hitch. I honestly didn’t think it would matter.”

“What hitch?”

“And you saw this, certain?” North asked the elf quietly. The elf nodded and hugged North’s boot, terrified he, too, would be eaten by fearlings. “Pitch Black!” North yelled. “Where is Elfiot!” Pitch cringed back. One of the yetis pulled the plug on the music and the whole room when awkwardly quiet.

“I let the fearlings eat an elf,” Pitch whispered to Jack. Jack swallowed as North stomped over to them, and he stepped between them.

“Jack. Get out of way.”

“Let’s- let’s talk about this.” Sure, Jack thought, now the drinks had to hit him. He was almost certain North wasn’t the one rocking back and forth slowly.

“Is nothing to talk about! I never should have trusted Pitch!”

“What happened, mate?” Bunny hopped over, Tooth and Sandy close behind.

“You said there were no fearlings in the village,” North growled. Pitch stood and backed away.

“I said I wouldn’t let them in,” he corrected. “I couldn’t do anything about the ones who’d already found me.” Jack held his ground, staff starting to crackle with ice.

“What are you doing, Jack! He killed one of the elves!”

“I get it. That’s bad. But it’s kind of your fault, too,” Jack said, pointing the staff at North.

“What!” He shouted, his deep voice shaking Jack to the core.

“You kept us cooped up here,” he pointed to North. “You captured us without any questions,” he pointed to Bunny. “And it wouldn’t have happened if you’d released us before Christmas.”

“This happened because I did release you,” North said through gritted teeth.

“No, you didn’t. You released just me. I happened to nick the key off Bunny one day and I kept it. And- and- you’re getting all worked up, over one elf! Yeah, I get it, that sucks! It’s sad, and it shouldn’t have happened.” Jack grew more frustrated, his lips looser and his voice more confident with all the ale he’d downed. “But how many of his fearlings and Night Mares did we kill during the last battle alone?” North opened his mouth, but Jack wouldn’t let him speak. He reached under the table, through the shadow cage, and pulled out a fearling he recognized as a fidget. “You know that some of these used to be children?” He held the fidget up in front of North. “You ever take the time to think that maybe these lives are valuable, too? That they could be helped, changed? No! Instead, you despise them and treat them like monsters. So, they act like monsters.” He pulled the fearling back and held it in one arm, letting it climb over his shoulders. The fearlings watched, sensing the growing dread in the powerful Guardians as Jack defended them.

“Jack… fearlings can’t be saved,” Tooth said, trying to be brave. “They’re pure darkness. Think about what Pitch’s creatures did to my fairies before…”

“Think about- think about what? They captured your fairies alive. Every single one of them came back unharmed, even when he used Baby Tooth against me!” Ice started spreading from Jack’s feet, and unbeknownst to the Guardians, the thin cloud cover above the castle had started to thicken and swell into storm clouds.

“You’re defending a murderer,” Bunny growled. “What about my people?”

“What about his people?” Jack bit back, gesturing to Pitch. “You want to talk about the value of a life? Maybe all of this could have been avoided if you all had listened to me about Pitch sooner!” Pitch wanted to feel consoled by Jack’s brave defense of him, but all he could feel was the growing anger and fear of the Guardians. He didn’t have the means to fight off all the Guardians at full power, and it scared even him. He believed Jack was picking a fight neither of them could finish.

“He is the enemy, Jack. And he will always be the enemy,” North said in a low rumble.

“Then you just made another one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (who made that comment about me always ending on a cliffhanger)  
> ~sorry not sorry~  
> Thanks for reading! Next upload is tOmOrRoW ~whaaaat~!


	36. Broken Christmas Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!

**Ch. 36- Broken Christmas Lights**

“Jack, stand down,” North said in a low voice. A couple yetis ran to get his swords.

“No, you,” Jack huffed, his childish humor leaking through his anger. He slammed the staff down in front of himself, freezing the ground. North slipped and fell over heavily, cracking the ice. Bunny kept his footing and lunged at Jack. Jack got ready to grapple with him, but Pitch grabbed his hood and yanked him back out of the way. Jack choked as Bunny slid to the floor.

“We need to leave,” Pitch said quickly, making a portal to Nightfall.

“No way!” Jack pulled away. “I’m sick of this!” He pointed the staff at North. “I’m tired of tightrope-walking between your favor and your hatred!” He said as North got back to his feet. The yetis tossed his swords up, and North caught them.

“You don’t want to fight me,” North warned. “Step out of way.”

“Jack,” Pitch urged, one foot in the portal.

“No, you don’t want to fight me.” Jack moved into a ready stance. “I’m done cowering in your shadow,” Jack declared, his grip on the staff tight. “I will be heard!” He fired off a thick wall of snow and ice. North slashed through it, blinded for a second, and Jack was gone when the ice cleared. “I will be respected!” North and the Guardians turned to see Jack hovering in the middle of the room, casting slick ice across the floor.

“Jack, we hear you, we just don’t understand why you’re defending him,” Tooth pleaded, flying up to him. “Pitch is evil.”

“No, he’s not!” Jack shot at her, grazing her wings with ice. She flinched back, unharmed, but the ice weighed her down and sent her falling to the floor. Bunny ran out to catch her and fell on his face, sliding out underneath her. She landed on his back.

“Sorry…,” she muttered. Bunny rolled over to protect her and get them both off the ice. North was furious. Jack had taken an oath, and now he was attacking his fellow Guardians. He slid his swords across each other, making a chilling noise as he stomped heavily onto the ice for better grip. Jack glared him down, his staff almost fully white with charged ice magic. Pitch looked at the portal, wanting to grab Jack and pull him away to safety. Strategically though, he knew running was no longer an option. North was energized and angry, and Pitch knew he would hunt them both down relentlessly. He got ready to fight alongside Jack, refusing to leave him behind. Tooth cowered behind a wooden column, flexing her wings and trying to free them as she stared at Jack in fear. “Jack, what are you doing…?” She whimpered.

Pitch sensed not just her fear, but also that of the other Guardians. He could feel it powering him and the fearlings, and he started to think perhaps they weren’t looking at certain defeat. He released the fearlings and called on more from Nightfall, but they didn’t rush to fight like he thought they would. Instead, they circled the room, surrounding everyone, every beady little eye on Jack. Sandman floated to Tooth’s side with a look of concern. Pitch edged away from Sandman until he caught his eye. Sandy gave him a hard look but seemed unwilling to fight. Bunnymund couldn’t get his footing on the ice, and Jack laughed as he fell over twice in a row. He dodged to the side as Bunny threw a boomerang from the floor.

“Whoa!”

“Sandy! Knock him out!” North ordered. Jack got ready to defend himself when Sandman shook his head and waved a little, golden flag to show he didn’t want to take sides. He didn’t want any of them to fight. Jack smirked and took off, flying around the room. He snatched the cloak and put it back on, grinning as the magic glowed in swirls on the fabric. Jack landed on the DJ booth first and turned on the music, blasting “Victorious” by Pan!c at the Disco.

“How about we make this a real party?” He said with a big, mischievous smile. Pitch shadow-shifted, trying to keep up with him, when Jack then leapt over onto the ice fountain he’d made. As the intro to the song blared over the speakers, Jack unhooked one of the valves and started drinking straight from the tube. Pitch crept up the shadow behind the fountain as an angry Russian tailed closely by yetis came for Jack.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna kick some Guardian butt and have some fun!”

“That’s not a good idea-” Jack grabbed Pitch’s face and kissed his forehead, freezing the dark sprite without ice.

“We’re doing it, and we’re doing it together. I won’t let anything happen to you. It’ll be fun,” he winked.

“Cocky little-” Pitch cursed under his breath as Jack flipped backwards off the ice fountain and North came at him with such force that he lodged his swords into the ice. Pitch retreated into the shadows and followed Jack, looking for a good place to flank him. Jack sang along with the music.

“Double bubble disco queen, headed to the guillotine!” He summoned his ice sword in his right hand and kept the staff in his left, getting ready for North to come charging again. Pitch summoned his scythe and stood next to Jack, shooting a shadow-cup full of cider. He rolled out his shoulders and neck, admitting to himself that it felt good to be in battle once again. “Skin as cool as Steve McQueen, let me be your killer king!” Jack pointed the staff up to summon a cloud directly above them, and it started snowing heavily onto the dancefloor with a sharp breeze kicking around the room. North swung at Jack, and Pitch moved to defend him, but his scythe was blocked by two hits in a row by Bunnymund’s boomerangs. The Pooka had found his footing in the shattered ice North left behind. Pitch grinned, all teeth, and went after Bunny instead, leaving North to Jack.

 _“It hurts until stops; we will love until it’s not!”_ The song continued as Jack held off North’s dual attack with his ice sword. Training with Pitch had paid off, he thought, using the wind to boost himself and knock North back a step.

“I’m a killing spree in white! Eyes like broken Christmas lights,” Jack laughed along with the song as he kept up with North’s vicious attack, his eyes wild and electric blue. He watched Pitch out of the corner of his eye, mirroring his movements to keep North back and away from Bunny. Tooth grabbed Sandy’s hand, squeezing it tightly with a look of worry.

“Do something, Sandy, put them all to sleep!” Sandman frowned and shook his head. He didn’t like using that power on his friends, more than he didn’t like to see them fight. Toothiana felt useless without her wings and stayed on the sidelines, hoping North and Bunny could disarm the two and calm them down safely. While this was happening, Jack looked over and recognized Bunny moving into a feinted throw. He leapt over North, jumping off the tall man’s shoulders, and blocked the blow with his staff as Pitch swung the wrong direction.

“My touch. Is black and poisonous,” Jack grinned dangerously at Bunny, who scrambled to grab his boomerangs.

 _“And nothing like my punch drunk kiss-”_ Jack tossed his sword in the air and socked Bunny across the face as he sprang back up, sending him flying backwards. Jack caught the sword and flew back to catch North before they could regroup. Pitch made a note to watch for Bunny’s last-minute directional changes, taking a non-fatal swing at the rabbit while he was down. Jack felt his heart racing in time with the music, glad for the practice he and Pitch put in with songs in the background. As North came at him again, Jack played with the ice. He sent columns of ice surging out of the ground under North’s feet, making a brittle, uneven staircase for him to run up as he tried to get closer to Jack. He cast bursting snowball grenades of ice in time with the beat, flying circles around him effortlessly.

“Oh! We gotta turn up the crazy!” Jack threw his arms out as he sang, and the wind whipped faster. Pitch glanced up at the sprite, impressed by his display and the ease with which he kept North at bay. North fell down the ice columns and covered his face to protect from shards of ice blowing around. Pitch pulled a shadow hood out from his own cloak to protect himself and whistled for the fearlings. Tooth shrieked and jumped on Sandy’s back as they all raced out from the edges of the room to join the fight. Bunnymund started running, using anything he could to keep his grip, including the walls and the wooden columns. The yetis tried to smash the slick ice, but Jack kept casting more. “Together,” Jack said, jumping on Pitch’s scythe when he was on the down swing. He made his sword disappear and summoned his ice shield.

“Uh-oh,” Bunny’s ears dropped as he recognized the attack from that day in the woods. He rolled out of the way as Pitch spun and sent Jack rocketing at him and North with shadow spears at his sides. North blocked the spears with his swords, leaving him open as Jack tackled him in the chest with a shield of ice. North felt the wind knocked out of him as Jack rolled off and sprang to his toes, ready to keep going.

“I have to help. Someone’s going to get seriously hurt!” Tooth said, urging Sandman to join the fight as she finally freed her wings and flew into the battle. She was nearly swept away with the wind as soon as she entered the circle, but she stopped fighting it and used it to her advantage. Jack hadn’t seen her join the fight and got two sharp fairy feet to the back of the head. His cloak flopped over him as he landed on his face, and he was covered up for a moment as he tried to fix it and get back up. Pitch came to his aid, surrounding Jack in protective shadows and swinging at Tooth. She darted around too fast for him to catch, but the fearlings were faster. They crawled up his back and his scythe and jumped at her until a couple caught her ankles. She kicked at them and threw bright, mage light bombs at the dark creatures. One snagged her wing and pulled her back to the floor. She was kept thoroughly busy with the fearlings, but then Bunny was back on his feet, limping from his own bout with the creatures.

“Are you alright?” Pitch turned to check on Jack.

“Watch your back!” Jack cast sheets of ice to block the boomerangs again. North, Tooth, and Bunny regrouped, and Jack dropped the shield. He copied Pitch’s scythe with his staff, casting a matching blade of ice across the top. Pitch smirked and swung out at the attacking Guardians. Sandman watched carefully, recognizing how they fought. Pitch swung and clashed. Jack swung and clashed. Pitch shot spears of shadow like a machine gun. Jack shot spears of ice. Jack was mirroring Pitch, and neither was fighting to hurt. Jack, especially, was fighting to show off and have fun. He was running through every new spell he’d not yet been able to show the Guardians and mimicking Pitch’s fighting style at the same time. He didn’t seem to be tiring, either. Sandman knew they all needed to stop eventually, though. Tooth was right, he thought. As they grew more tired and frustrated, someone was bound to get irreversibly hurt. But he wasn’t fast enough to join the fight.

North had targeted Pitch this time, since he hadn’t gotten anywhere with Jack. The fearlings had almost no effect on him, nibbling and scratching at his thick clothes and skin. Pitch was agile and quick after training with Jack, but Jack didn’t wield two swords with the fury of a betrayed Russian saint. Pitch cried out, mostly in surprise, when North swung fast enough to slice him across the arm, drawing black blood. Jack whipped back around, and something snapped inside him when he saw the injury.

“Pitch!” He suddenly gave a war cry so loud that Tooth and Bunny hesitated. Jack shot dangerously sharp, solid arrows of ice at North. North couldn’t block the entire wall of spikes flying at him and went for blocking his face and chest with his thick forearms. Jack kept the barrage of ice coming, scratching away at North death-by-a-thousand-cuts style. He summoned a flurry of bright, powder snow and ice around himself in a swirling cocoon, drawing moisture from the air and freezing it into dangerous crystals. Pitch was about to tell him to stop when Jack cast thick walls around him to protect him from the crystals he was forming in the room. Tooth covered her face and backed away from the dancefloor as it became too painful to stay in Jack’s storm. Bunny lasted a bit longer with his thick fur to protect him, and Sandman joined him, flying at Jack. Jack turned to them and shot sharp, angular hailstones the size of softballs at them both. Sandy and Bunny retreated quickly behind the wooden columns, both worried about North. Jack dropped the temperature in the room so fast that the pressure change made his ice explode, and the atmospheric blast knocked everyone out, including some of the fearlings. He flew over and tapped a button to stop the music, breathing a little harder than before. The room was eerily quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, it starts to get really crazy after this...


	37. The Spell is Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to preface this chapter with a brief explanation. Almost all stories can be broken into three distinct parts or acts, and Chapter 36 marked the end of what I would consider part or act one. From this point on, the story takes a wild turn, pulling more on the lore from Joyce's book series and my own imagination pushing the boundaries of the characters' powers and interests.
> 
> So, buckle up everyone- it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

**Ch. 37- The Spell is Broken**

“Jack?” Pitch was nervous with the sudden silence. The walls around him dissolved, and he felt the biting cold of the room. Jack hovered at his side, looking over the cut. “It’s not that bad,” he said, using shadow to fix the cut in his cloak and hide the wound. He looked around to see the Guardians and the yetis passed out on the edges of the room. North was the closest to them with red scrapes all over his arms and face.

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt…,” Jack said, landing one foot at a time. The dead air and lingering buzz of adrenaline in his ears were strangely sobering.

“Let’s leave while we can,” Pitch said, taking his hand.

“You promised me a dance,” Jack said with a tiny smile.

“We can dance at Nightfall. They’re not gonna be happy when they wake up,” he tried to reason.

“I don’t care.” Jack floated back to the DJ booth. “I want my dance.” He flipped through songs and turned on “Never Tear Us Apart.”

“Jack…,” Pitch sighed. Jack stepped down and cleared the ice from the dancefloor as the song played.

“Don’t ask me,” Jack ignored his request and sang quietly with the song, his timing a little off. “What you know is true,” he crooned. Pitch rolled his eyes. The scythe disappeared into shadow. “Don’t have to tell you…” Jack reached his hand out, swaying to the music. Pitch raised a brow at him, trying to decide how upset Jack would be if he summoned the portal beneath the sprite’s feet. “I love your precious heart.” The look in Jack’s eyes was too hard to resist, though, as silly as his deadly winter sprite could be sometimes. Pitch huffed and offered his own hand.

 _“I… I was standing. You were there. Two worlds collided.”_ Jack took Pitch’s hand with a lip-bitten smile and floated up a little so his cloak wasn’t dragging on the floor. _“And they could never- tear us- apart!”_ Pitch waited for the drop to scoop Jack’s waist into his free hand, and he worked them into a quick-step waltz. Jack giggled and followed easily, rocking to the music and staring up into Pitch’s eyes.

“Cheeky,” Pitch whispered.

“I need to give you your Christmas gift,” Jack said as they danced together, floating up into the center of the room with nothing but air beneath their feet.

“I have what I asked for,” Pitch replied, squeezed his hand. North started to rouse.

“I’m giving you your gift anyway,” Jack whispered, floating up a little more so he was level with Pitch. His eyes were bright and wanting as he locked with Pitch’s dark, glowing circles. Pitch smiled knowingly as he figured out what Jack was doing. He ran a hand through Jack’s hair as he continued to waltz them through the air. Jack started to lean in as he heard North lift a heavy sword and try to stand. He glanced down and cast North in a thick coat of ice without hesitation. “No more interruptions.”

Pitch chuckled and met Jack as he tilted into a shy kiss. Jack’s cold lips felt like a breath of fresh air against his own. Jack let slip a stifled moan at the hot spark that lit in his core. Pitch couldn’t be gentle for long. He grabbed the back of Jack’s head and wrapped his other hand around the small of his back, bending him back slightly. Jack strung an arm around Pitch’s neck, free hand on his chest. He ran his cold fingers down into Pitch’s cloak, tracing familiar scars. His face heated quickly, and he felt like he might melt. Pitch ran his tongue across Jack’s bottom lip and found entry when the sprite moaned in response. He claimed Jack’s mouth, almost unaware of the shadows curling up around them both. Jack’s fern-pattern ice spread slowly down Pitch’s back, but he was careful not to cast from the hand on Pitch’s chest. Jack followed as Pitch tried to release him, biting the other’s lip playfully. He let go, giving Pitch a bashful, lustful smile.

“Thank you,” Pitch whispered, running a thumb over his cheek. Jack took a deep breath as he looked into Pitch’s eyes.

“I love you.” His words struck Pitch like a match to flame. His features softened as he looked at Jack with gentle surprise. He never thought he could find happiness like what those words had just made him feel.

“I love you, too, Jack.” Jack thought he couldn’t blush any harder, feeling the burning heat in his cheeks and chest. Pitch gave him another quick peck and ran his nose along Jack’s, enjoying the moment. “You’re glowing.”

“Stop it,” Jack muttered, embarrassed. “We can head back now if you want,” he said, hands on Pitch’s shoulders.

“No, Jack, you’re actually glowing.” Pitch looked concerned as he let go. Jack looked at his arms and hands.

“What?” Pitch backed away, putting a hand over his brow. “I’m not doing anything! What’s happening!” Jack was emitting increasingly bright white light, filling the room. Bunnymund and Sandman had just started to wake back up, and both covered their eyes.

“Is that Jack?” Bunny asked, trying to peek between his fingers. Pitch started to panic, afraid of anything bad happening to Jack. He immediately started to blame himself and reached out towards the light.

“Jack!”

“Pitch!” Jack curled up, covering his ears as they started ringing loudly. As the light’s intensity grew, he thought his head and heart might explode. Everything inside him suddenly seemed to be running in overdrive- his thoughts, his breath, his blood, his powers. “Get back! Get away!” He shouted, not wanting to hurt Pitch. Pitch didn’t want to, but he dropped to the floor right before Jack’s light disappeared. A silent explosion went off with Jack at the center, blowing out all the glass in the room and ceiling. Everything echoed and rang. Pitch slowly lifted his head, his skin burning from the blast of light and glass shards falling out of his hair. Jack floated lifelessly in mid-air, the cloak billowing around him like a soft breeze was blowing. Pitch had managed to stay conscious through the blast, but the others were still down. He slowly lifted himself to all fours and then collapsed again as a sharp pain struck through his head.

“Ah!” Stinging, vivid flashes of memory flooded his mind. He couldn’t see anything in front of him as he remembered everything involving Jack Frost… before he was Jack Frost. He panted with effort, fighting the head rush as he got to his knees and forced himself to stand. “Jah… Jack,” he breathed heavily, reaching up to the sprite. The star. The warrior. The Guardian, then and now.

“Mm…” Jack floated down to the floor gently, his eyes squeezed shut as he came back around. He looked dazed as his eyes opened. Pitch knelt by his side, speechless. Jack looked through him at first and then recoiled away faster than he’d ever moved before. He crossed the room, staff at the ready, eyes blown wide with panic. Pitch put his hands out slowly.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He spoke barely above a whisper. “Calm… talk to me,” he urged quietly. Jack trembled violently, but not from fear. He kept creeping backwards, putting more space between himself and Pitch.

“You… _you_ ,” he said, his face showing a hundred emotions at once, all flickering back and forth.

“This- this doesn’t change anything, Jack,” Pitch said, standing slowly. He looked over to the see the Guardians waking again. They seemed to be going through the same thing, clutching their heads as memories came rushing back. Pitch could tell he was about to take off. “Don’t go,” he pleaded. Jack shook his head nervously and leapt from the floor. He shot out of the broken dome into the cloudy night and disappeared. “Jack!”

Pitch backed away as the others woke, groaning with the same head rush he just experienced. He clutched his chest suddenly, remembering his most fatal battle- his most fatal failure. No wonder Jack was so drawn to his scars… the memories were there, hidden deep within. His mention of wanting a dagger, his endless energy, his glowing magic. It was all so obvious now. So then, why had everyone forgotten? Was it the Man in the Moon’s doing? Sandman was the first one to his feet, sort of, as he floated upright and rubbed his temples. Pitch thought about retreating, but he still didn’t want to leave without Jack. He had to figure out where the sprite had disappeared to. Pitch summoned his scythe as Sandman approached, but Sandy put both hands out in a show of neutrality. He pointed at Pitch then at his own head, asking permission. Pitch nodded, a little hesitant.

 _“Do you understand what happened?”_ He asked.

“I do not,” Pitch responded, glancing up at the ceiling. “But I remember.”

 _“I think we all do now. Do you know where he went?”_ Pitch shook his head, looking distant.

“I can’t believe he would just leave like that.”

 _“He’s probably upset and muddled. I’d bet we all are.”_ Sandman looked back as the others stood, looking at each other with pained confusion.

“What’s going on? Where’s Jack?” Bunny asked. Sandman didn’t like this situation, but he knew Pitch was Jack’s best option right now. The others were too ruffled.

 _“Pitch. Go. Find him. Figure out what’s going on. Please,_ ” Sandman urged, shooing Pitch away. _“He’s probably flown off somewhere isolated and cold.”_

“No. I know where’s he’s gone,” Pitch said with sudden realization. He made a portal.

“Sandy, stop him!” North ordered, coming for Pitch. Sandman stalled, flying up in front of North, and Pitch slipped through the portal. He stepped out into Central Park, ignoring the chaos behind him as the portal closed. Dawn was just cresting over the skyline. Based on the clear skies, Pitch assumed Jack hadn’t arrived yet. He wandered the park, searching for Jack’s old favorite hideout.

Jack flew through the clouds, not sure where he was headed, as memories shot through his mind like a blizzard. He was more than a boy with ice powers. He was more than a Guardian. He predated the Guardians- all but Sandman. He had helped write the Guardian oath. He had once sworn to protect the Man in the Moon as an infant. He had fought Pitch Black, Captain of the Dream Pirates, terror of the cosmos, enemy of the children of Earth. He had won, time and time again. Until he was done fighting.

The sprite stopped in the center of a swirling, gray cloud, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. He looked at his staff, Twiner, the ultimate shape-shifting weapon and companion. He thought about rising from the clouds to find MiM, the playful name he’d given his long-time lunar friend and master, but ancient memories weren’t the only ones replaying in his mind. Pitch Black had found him again, and- no. Not this time. Jack realized he was the one who’d found Pitch this time. His spell had worked perfectly. But, as he brushed a few fingertips over his lips, remembering the kiss, he thought, maybe he and Pitch had been drawn together over the eons for another reason. He considered flying back to Santoff Claussen, but he couldn’t face all the Guardians right now. He didn’t want to think about how they felt- betrayed, used, manipulated, left out… and he wasn’t sure he knew how to feel about Pitch yet. He kept flying higher through the atmosphere, clouds surrounding him and his roiling emotions. When he finally felt like landing, he realized he’d been drawn to New York, not too far from his hometown. Memories came back in sharp, bright patches, and he knew there was something special about this place.

Pitch felt the cold bite to the air as Jack arrived and looked up to see thick clouds rolling in. He followed the arctic wind until he could see Jack, and something inside him was warmed by the fact that he was still wearing the cloak. He stuck to the shadows, not ready to approach Jack yet. Jack walked up to an old, gnarled oak tree standing hunched in a thicker part of the Central Park forest. As he walked, he left frosty footprints and a trail of thin ice. Pitch hid by the roots of the tree.

“You can come out now,” Jack said. Pitch froze, wondering how Jack had sensed him. “Come on.” Pitch was about to step out when suddenly a small fearling came running at Jack. He crouched down and caught the creature. “Hey, Twitchy. What are you doing, following me?” The creature bared long, black claws, but didn’t scratch at Jack. It seemed to be trying to show some form of affection. Jack tapped the trunk of the tree with his staff, and a small hole opened, just big enough for a child to climb into. He managed to crawl inside the hole, his cloak hanging out elegantly, and he hung his staff on a nearby branch. “Come on, then.” He beckoned to Twitchy, who hopped up and joined him, curling into his lap. “Darkness has always followed me. Haven’t you?” He scratched into the shadows, finding where the creature was a little more solid along its neck and hunched back. “Oh. I forgot my music. I wonder…” Jack cast a portal into the tree, finding his music player right where he’d left it in the room. He reached through and closed the portal again. He put one earbud in and flipped through songs. “Would have been boring without this, hm?

“What was I thinking?” Jack thought aloud, rubbing his face. “Hiding my existence didn’t change anything. I might have made it worse,” he said, a little to the fearling but mostly to himself. Pitch listened, piecing together that Jack had cast himself from memory on purpose. “My lover’s got humor… she’s the giggle at a funeral,” he mumbled along with the song. He grabbed the fearling’s face. “And I just left him there with the Guardians! What if they captured him again…?” Pitch pressed closer to the bark of the tree, grateful for Jack’s concern. “What… should I care? I do care. I know I do. I made that spell so only one thing could end it…” He pulled the fearling close and squeezed it. Others started to appear, circling the tree and listening to Jack, just like Pitch. “We were born sick… heard them say it…” He continued singing in a quiet voice. “Command me to be well…” Twitchy jumped out of his arms and bounced off to join the others. Jack slid out of the hole and grabbed his staff with a huff. He turned the music off and tucked the headphones into his pocket. “I gotta make sure this is true.” He took the staff in both hands and concentrated, charging up his powers. He controlled the glowing light this time, expanding it to a circular, transparent aura that encompassed him. Memories played across the inside of the aura, echoing moments of time at him.

He saw a great serpent in the woods. He saw playful memories with his human family. He saw shadows lurking at his feet, no matter where he went. He saw his human friends and the sweet little village. He saw a girl, someone different who hadn’t been with his family. Someone he’d known a long time ago. He saw Sandman on his island, offering a handful of sand. Suddenly, the light disappeared, and he dropped to his knees in exhaustion. Twitchy crept up close to him again.

“I can’t connect the dots,” he panted, trying to remember everything in a smooth line. “It’s too much… if you’re here, where’s Pitch?” He asked Twitchy. “I should go back for him… he said it himself, this doesn’t change anything. I think.” He used the staff as a crutch to stand. Pitch slid out from the shadow of the tree.

“I’m here,” he said carefully. Jack turned, eyes wide.

“How- how did you know how to find me?”

“Because I know you. And now, I remember you.” Jack swallowed, keeping a safe distance between them.

“I shouldn’t have left you like that. I’m sorry. Especially with the Guardians, I’m sure they’re pissed at me.”

“I need to show you something,” Pitch said, changing the subject. Jack gave him a hard look. “Nothing really changed. You said it, too.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I believe it…”

“Come with me.” Pitch opened a portal to Nightfall, but Jack was still skeptical. Pitch knew his hesitation was self-doubt, not fear. “How much do you remember?”

“It’s coming back in waves. Patchy,” Jack said, shaking his head.

“Then let’s go through it all together. I have something of yours that I think will help.”

“Okay.” Jack walked up to him cautiously and followed him into the portal. “Where are we?” He asked after a moment, unfamiliar with this section of Nightfall.

“The K wing.”

“The K wing? Where you told me not to go?” He scoffed.

“Yes. It holds the reminders of my past life… and of yours.”

“So… wait, did you remember who I was?”

“No. I never came back here. I made it a safe place for my souvenirs of two lifetimes of battles and war, and I haven’t actually been inside in… over hundreds of years.” He walked up to a large, ornate black door and fashioned a skeleton key from shadow to unlock it. Jack was greeted with a gentle golden glow as the door creaked open. Pitch folded his hands behind his back and glided down the hall, memorabilia flanking either side. Mannequins of armor, trophy pieces of dead creatures, and treasures claimed from across the universe all glowed under warm, magic lighting.

“This is a piece of wood from one of the dream pirate’s ships!” Jack gasped, racing over to one of the stands. “And- and this! This is a piece of a wishing star after a burnout…” He darted around, his natural energy and liveliness returning. “This was an original fearling sword… back when they were strong enough to wield their own weapons. What’s this-”

“Don’t touch. It’ll trap you inside.” Pitch steered him away from a magic glass orb with a capture spell attached to it. “Then I’d have a little Jack Frost snow globe until you broke out,” he smirked. “In here.” He turned at the last door on the left and used the shadow key again. The room was small with no lights. Pitch had Jack cast a mage light in the center of the room. On the back wall was a tall, regal suit of armor. It was Kozmotis Pitchiner’s military uniform as a general- black with gold lining, a golden alloy helmet, gauntlets, and shin guards, a crimson cape, and a golden sword with a red-lined handle. A golden shield with an ancient royal crest hung beside it on the wall.

“General Pitchiner… I remember,” Jack said sadly.

“It makes me uncomfortable to be in here,” Pitch muttered. “I’m not that person anymore.”

“But you could be-” Pitch was quick to draw up close to Jack and cut him off.

“We’re not here for me.” Pitch unbuttoned the jacket to reveal that the armor mannequin was hollow, and hanging in its center was a glowing, diamond dagger. Jack’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. His staff started to frost over. Pitch was surprised when he sensed a trickle of fear. Jack was afraid of conflict. He could tell the sprite didn’t want to fight again so soon, and he put a calming hand on his shoulder. “I was angry before. Very angry. Blindingly angry,” he said slowly. “Until I realized what you did for me.” He lifted the dagger from where it hung inside the mannequin and ran a finger over the blade. “You could have killed me. You were ordered to, forced to. But you didn’t.” He pointed the blade at Jack offhandedly. “Then, I was angry again. I saw it as weakness. As mercy.” He gripped the handle tightly, his eyes dark. “But weakness doesn’t sentence themselves to a thousand years in isolation and darkness simply to spare a life.” Jack took a moment to find words.

“I’m not a killer. I couldn’t even kill the serpent.”

“This belongs to you.” He handed the dagger to Jack, handle out. Jack took it carefully, feeling a strange wave of relief with it back in his hold. He flinched back with a loud cry, dropping the dagger, as the memory of driving it into Pitch’s heart came back without warning like a rushing train. Pitch felt fear again, this time Jack’s fear of the dagger itself and what it represented. He knelt and picked it back up. “It’s alright Jack. We both used to be somebody else. Different desires, different goals, different promises to keep.” He stood, holding it out again. “I forgive you.” Jack stared at the dagger with scared eyes and jittery hands. “Can you forgive me?” He put a finger under Jack’s chin to get him to meet his eyes. Jack started to relax.

“Yes…,” he said after a moment. He took the dagger, this time holding onto it tightly. Pitch stroked Jack’s face, grateful to have the sprite back to himself in Nightfall where no one and no thing could interrupt them. He leant down and kissed Jack gently, a small part of him afraid that Jack might have another starburst of energy in him. Jack squeezed his eyes shut when Pitch released him. “Am I glowing again?”

“No, not this time,” Pitch gave him a small smile.

“This is all so confusing…”

“We have plenty of time to go over it all together. Just… watch the blade.” Pitch used a fingertip to point the dagger away from himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, once more and as always, to my wonderful and amazing readers. 
> 
> I live for every hit, kudos, and comment, and I look forward to sharing the last two parts with you as we creep towards the new year. After this, I'll be posting on a more regular basis- I'm thinking Mondays and Thursdays. Please feel free to post any questions, theories, feedback, or reactions! I adore this fandom, and you, my readers, make it all the more enjoyable.


	38. Little Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!

**Ch. 38- Little Light**

“Now what?” Jack asked with a short huff.

“Tour’s not over. Come.” Pitch led Jack out of the room. As he followed, Jack fused the dagger with Twiner, storing it invisibly as a string of magic in the wood. His thoughts were heavy and tense, and he wasn’t sure how to feel. He was grateful not to be fighting. He was nervous, wondering if the whole thing was a trap somehow. He never would have trusted Pitch before the memory wipe… would he? He didn’t realize he’d stopped walking until Pitch glanced back over his shoulder. “What is it?”

“Did you mean it?” Jack asked, squeezing the staff nervously. He looked at the floor. “That’s a stupid question. The spell wouldn’t have reversed if you hadn’t meant it. At least in the moment.” Pitch opened another door that led to a spiraling staircase.

“You’ll have to explain. I think I understand what you did, which, in any case, was extraordinarily clever and selfless. But yes, I meant it.”

“An explanation… Well, it’s a bit of a long story. I’d had the idea for a while, I just didn’t want to go through with it.” Jack climbed the narrow staircase one step behind Pitch. It was even darker than the hall, to the point where he was trusting his feet to find unseen steps. He tripped forward on a particularly tall step, and Pitch caught him unflinchingly with a shadow limb. Jack blushed, and Pitch pretended it didn’t happen.

“We have time.”

“I kept hoping you would get tired of chasing me. That you would leave us all alone. There was a whole world out there. I kept thinking, why me? Why should I have to worry about my family and friends every second of the day. I wasn’t surprised when your forces found me with the Ardeleans. I was…”

“Disappointed,” Pitch cut him off, pausing. He seemed to reflect, and then he kept walking. “I remember not understanding why you looked disappointed. Everyone else showed me anger or fear, but not you. You had the face of a boy, sure, but you had the eyes of a warrior. One who was tired of fighting.”

“I was,” Jack nodded. “But I couldn’t let you hurt them. I was also disappointed you sent the serpent instead of facing me yourself.”

“We both know I couldn’t beat you alone. I needed soldiers, the element of surprise, leverage…”

“Which is why I could never get close enough to talk to you like I wanted. I always believed if I could just talk to you on neutral ground, I could find peace.”

“Darkness demands conflict,” Pitch said knowingly, running a hand along the wall. “So walk me through it. You saved Ana, gave yourself to the serpent-”

“That’s what it was!” Pitch turned.

“Hm?”

“I told you, it’s patchy. I- the spell changed my memories, even the ones attached to my baby teeth. I could only remember Ana on the ice, and the lake, but that wasn’t what really happened.” Jack stopped, staring off as he remembered. “The serpent. He chased us out onto the ice. He threatened Ana and Jacklovich and went under. He was slamming up against it, trying to break the ice underneath her. I used Twiner to fling her off the ice, and he grabbed me and pulled me under… I made a deal with him. I told him I could free him from your darkness and control if he helped me. I needed someone to recharge my magic to make the spell work because I’d become fully human to live with that family.”

“How did you get the serpent to help you?” Pitch was surprised.

_~~~_

_“Pitch Black will kill me if I return unsuccessful. Accept your death like a man!” The serpent projected, speaking directly to Jack’s mind._

_“He won’t if he doesn’t remember,” Jack thought back calmly as though he wasn’t drowning. “No one has to die. Not me, not you.” Jack pressed his dagger against the serpent’s scales to show he had the advantage._

_“I’m listening.”_

_“I have a spell I know will work. I mean to erase all record of myself and be reborn. No one will remember Nightlight. No one will know Jack Frost. They won’t even be able to see me or hear me. Pitch won’t remember your mission. He won’t remember why he sent you. You can be free. And if it doesn’t work, I’ll be here in the lake. You can kill me then. Please. I’m tired of fighting. I’m tired of people I care about getting hurt. Aren’t you?”_

~~~

“He granted me his magic, and I cast the spell. It was very long and complex. I had to reach out to everyone who’d ever seen me, heard of me, thought of me… I was so sad the whole time, up until I started losing my own memory. He left me at the bottom of the lake, and I remember feeling peace. I was nothing. I had no worries. It was just dark and cold. But even that felt a little familiar. Comfortable.” Jack started to come back to reality. He stopped, and so did Pitch. “Because I’d been somewhere cold and dark before, but I wasn’t really alone.” He reached out slowly, caution in his eyes. Pitch allowed it. Jack ran his fingers down Pitch’s chest, finding the star-shaped scar.

“Our battle was legendary.”

“Did it hurt…?” Jack asked. Pitch seemed distant for a moment.

_~~~_

_“Surrender! You’ve been defeated. Take your forces and retreat!” Nightlight said with a hearty laugh that didn’t match the fierce battle._

_“Nightlight. I will snuff you out, then the moon, until everything is bathed in darkness!” Pitch formed a massive sword of darkness and charged at him, calling Nightlight’s bluff. “You can’t kill me. You won’t,” he grinned._

_“You’re half-right,” Nightlight said as he twirled his long dagger. “I can kill you.” He charged back at Pitch head-on and plunged his dagger into Pitch’s heart. “But I won’t.” The dagger lodged in Pitch’s chest, unable to be removed as Nightlight himself fused with the diamond blade._

~~~

“It was more shock than pain. I wasn’t sure what you had done at first, just that I couldn’t move. I remember bits before it all went black.”

“I tried to make it as painless as possible. When I cast the binding spell, I- I…,” he stammered, “I cast it with love magic, not light magic.”

“How?” Pitch ran his fingers over Jack’s hand.

“Because I never fully saw you as an enemy. I… I have always admired and respected you. As a general, as a captain, through everything. It wasn’t hard for me to find love mixed in there.”

“I tortured you for eons. I committed genocide. I pillaged and plundered and-”

“And the whole time, I knew two things. That it wasn’t really you- you weren’t doing it because you enjoyed it. You were doing it for the darkness,” Jack said quickly.

“And the second…?” He raised a brow, challenging him.

“Everything you did… was beautiful,” Jack admitted, staring off. “Strategically superior. Clever. Intelligent. You demanded respect in every discipline. You had such commitment to everything you did, you were just on the wrong side.” Pitch looked down at Jack like he was crazy, but the love he found in those blue eyes softened him. “I never wanted to fight you, but I loved every minute of it. I… I was okay with disappearing because I was tired of other people getting in the way.”

“That’s… a little obsessive and sociopathic.”

“I was hoping you’d say romantic,” Jack smirked.

“Come, little light. We’re almost at the top.” Pitch rubbed his cheek and led him up the stairs. The passage became narrower, so Jack had to follow directly behind him. He withheld a joke about the view being behind Pitch but smiled with mischief.

“Little light,” he muttered under his breath, blushing. “What’s at the top?” Pitch glanced back with a smirk but didn’t answer. He had one more door to open at the top of the stairs. Behind it was a wide, dark tunnel. He let Jack walk ahead. The room was an open cave at the top of a spire built into an oceanside cliff. Jack ran to the edge that overlooked the Arctic ocean. Loud surf splashed far below against the rocks. Cold wind whistled across the mouth of the cave, and birds could be heard in the distance. Thin streams of sunlight burned through small holes in the gray clouds. Pitch stopped halfway in at the line where light couldn’t reach into the cave. “Why does this feel so familiar?” Jack was shadowed by his backlighting.

“This is where I landed. Where we landed.”

“I thought… we landed in a crater. A deep, dark cave underground…”

“That was over a thousand years ago, Jack. The planet changes often.” Jack felt eased by the salty breeze blasting up towards the mouth of the cave. “When the angle was just right, a stray moonbeam got caught in your dagger and released you. I woke up here, alone, with the dagger in my lap. This is one of the only physical connections between Nightfall and the surface.” He summoned a chair of shadow and took a seat. Jack paced at the mouth of the cave, silhouetted by thin, hazy clouds.

“So… what’s left?”

“I have one more question,” Pitch said, pressing his fingertips together. “The same question, actually. You haven’t answered it yet.”

“Shoot.”

“How exactly was your memory spell broken?” Jack groaned quietly, a quick, stifled noise that he tried to contain. He walked up to Pitch, his mouth open, but he didn’t know how to say it.

“Okay. Look. You’re not allowed to laugh.”

“You’ve proven yourself a worthy adversary many times over. Why would I laugh at you?”

“Maybe I spent too much time listening to Katherine’s bedtime stories…,” he muttered under his breath. “I cast the spell so it could only be reversed… with true love’s kiss.” He hid behind the thin staff, his eyes squeezed shut. He peeked an eye open to see Pitch trying very hard not to laugh.

“Why-” Pitch’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Why would I laugh?”

“I know it’s stupid! But I thought… if ever someone came into my new life, someone I truly, genuinely cared for, who loved me back, that I would be ready to defeat you. For whoever it was. With them. I kinda thought it would be Katherine… I- I never imagined it would be you!” Pitch stood and quickly started to crowd Jack against the wall, shadows curling around him in excitement.

“You’re still a bad liar. Even lying to yourself. You did imagine it would be me. You _hoped_ it would be me,” he said, staring Jack down. Jack blushed and kept the staff between them.

“Forever a crushing fanboy…” Jack mumbled. Pitch tapped the staff with an obscuring spell to get it out of the way. He lifted Jack’s chin.

“You are not a fanboy. You are a respectable warrior, a devoted friend, and a passionate lover. No one in this universe could shine a light into my heart as you did.”

“Forcibly…”

“I don’t mean when I drove you to stab me, and you trapped yourself there. I mean how you approached an enemy and worked your way in with time and trust and sincerity. I meant it, Jack. And I’m not letting you go.”

“Pitch…” Jack placed a hand on his chest. Pitch recognized the look in his eyes and acted on it without hesitation this time. He pressed Jack into the cave wall and swallowed his cold lips into another kiss, feeling an instant drop in temperature. The gulls and waves gave them relaxing white noise as they shared a new moment of connection. Pitch moved a knee between Jack’s legs to spread them, pleased when Jack followed along.

“Do you want me as badly as I want you, little light?” Jack nodded with half-lidded eyes. “Use your words.”

“I want you, Pitch. I love you.”

“Good.” Pitch scooped Jack into his arms and walked through a portal to his bedroom. “I love you, too. You’re mine now.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed with an elfin smile as he unfastened the cloak. “But that also means you’re mine.”


	39. Fear Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve! Let's get ready to usher in a bright new time of happiness, health, and change for the better. And while we're at it, why not blast through two new chapters today and another upload tomorrow?? Enjoy!

**Ch. 39- Fear Me**

“So, let me get this straight: you think that Jack Frost cast a spell on everyone to make us forget who he was? Why would he do that! It’s obviously one of Pitch’s schemes!” Bunnymund said, slamming a fist on the table. Sandman gave a silent sigh, realizing after over an hour of trying to explain his logic, he’d gotten nowhere with the Guardians.

“We can’t know for sure until we talk to him,” Tooth said. Sandy pointed in agreement.

“I say we take the fight to Pitch this time and demand answers!” North said, raising a sword. Sandman tried to protest, but the others weren’t looking.

“As much as I don’t want to fight, you might be right,” Tooth agreed.

“We can launch a frontal attack by surprise from one of my new tunnels. I’m certain as I can be that I dug too close to Nightfall and Pitch’s little minions were behind the collapse,” Bunny offered.

“We can’t just go, though. He’s got Jack. We have to plan carefully and separate them,” Tooth added. Sandy waved his arms. He hated being ignored.

“Not how I wanted to spend Christmas,” North grumbled. “And Manny looks like he won’t be joining us any time soon,” he said with a glance at the sky through the broken glass dome.

“Let’s get to the Warren and draw up a plan there,” Bunnymund said, taking over. “I can send scouts to the tunnels to look for a connection to Pitch’s lair,” he added. Sandman floated between everyone with angry little symbols. North “listened” and sighed heavily.

“We need to act on the facts we have, Sandy. Jack attacked us and left. Pitch went after him.” Sandy made symbols to say they didn’t know enough and that attacking was the wrong thing to do. “What if _you’re_ wrong? What if Jack gets hurt? Or worse, if the darkness gets to him?” Sandman sank down to his feet, remembering the tragic loss of General Pitchiner to the darkness. He couldn’t fathom the sorrow if Jack was lost, too. He looked up at North and gave a solemn nod. “We will be careful. We will help him,” North promised.

“Let me get my things together and brief the fairies. I’ll meet you there,” Tooth said, about to take off.

“Use the South tunnel near the cliffs when you get to the island,” Bunny told her. North picked up his swords and sheathed them across his waist. He barked orders at the yetis in Russian.

“I will come with you,” he said to Bunnymund. Bunny thumped his foot to summon a tunnel and dropped in, followed closely by North. Sandman stood alone in the center of the Workshop, lost in conflicted thoughts. He very badly wanted to believe Jack had gotten through to Pitch, but the blatant evidence seemed to show the opposite. Could Pitch have been behind the memory loss? Was he the mastermind manipulating everyone, just to get Jack Frost on his side? Sandman could still remember how it felt to be swallowed by darkness. He dreaded the idea of Jack having to experience the same. He steeled himself for the coming battle, knowing this invasion plan would fail, and flew into the Warren tunnel.

Pitch slid his hands up Jack’s hoodie. Jack moaned, voice unrestrained, as shadows curled around his thighs. A few more started to work his pants down slowly. Pitch kissed up his chest, watching the sprite’s pale skin bloom gradually with color. Jack started to help take off his clothes. Pitch made his cloak disappear.

“I like the look of you underneath me,” Pitch whispered, getting a bashful smile in response. He leaned down to steal another kiss but stopped halfway. He thought he heard something- a distance voice. Small. Faint.

“Pitch?” Jack asked. Pitch shook it off and closed the distance between them hungrily. Jack accepted and returned the kiss passionately, wrapping his arms around Pitch’s neck. Pitch heard the voice again, louder this time, and sat up. “What is it?”

“I… I swear I heard something.” Jack sat up.

“Is it… the spirits of the enchanted forest?” He smirked. Pitched shoved him back to the bed playfully.

“Hush.” He waited. “There! You don’t hear it?”

“I can’t hear anything, no.” A portal formed suddenly beside Pitch, shadows swirling around it. “Where are we going?” Jack asked slowly.

“I don’t- I didn’t make that,” Pitch said, confused.

“Looks like your magic.” Jack pulled his hoodie back on. “What’s the mystery voice saying?”

“It’s saying ‘Boogeyman.’ Like it’s calling for me.”

“That’s creepy. Let’s check it out.” Jack called for his staff and caught it without looking. Pitch blocked him from the portal.

“What are you thinking? You don’t just jump through random portals on your own!” Jack fixed his pants and slid around Pitch.

“I’m not on my own. You’ll be right behind me,” he winked right before disappearing through the portal.

“You infuriating little elf!” Pitch hissed, summoning his cloak and following Jack. “Where are we!” He snapped. Jack was standing in front of him. They were on a familiar street. It had been daylight, but Jack’s emotions were changing that quickly.

“I know this house. You know this house.” They were on the cul-de-sac where Pitch had guarded a child of Earth for the first time.

“Little Lilac,” Pitch muttered. “The voice was female. It was hers,” he realized. Jack turned with a look of shock.

“You heard- you heard the little girl? She was the one calling out to you?” He floated up in growing excitement.

“It was her voice, yes.”

“Pitch! Do you know what that means!” Jack floated up higher and grabbed Pitch’s collar, tugging him close.

“Let go and use your words.” Jack did a backflip in the air.

“You- you were summoned! By a child who believes in you! Pitch, when- when a child is truly in need. I mean, like, really, really, _really_ needs help believing. In something, anything! They summon a Guardian. Sometimes by name. We don’t always show up in person. Sometimes the child just needs a sign, or a- some kind of guiding force. North probably gets it the most,” Jack rambled, “especially around Christmas when some kids are having a hard time believing, and he usually sends them an early Christmas gift. A couple times last year, he even sent me,” Jack smiled. He landed slowly. “This girl, the first girl to ever see you, just summoned you. She needs you.” He pointed to the house.

“You’re joking.” Pitch tried to head back for the portal, and Jack cast an ice wall over it.

“No, I’m not.” He grabbed Pitch’s hand and dragged him closer to the house. He heard yelling downstairs and peeked in the window. Pitch slunk into the shadows and stayed next to Jack. The father was screaming at the mother about something she’d gotten Lilac for Christmas. He was talking about money but barely making any sense, clearly drunk and swinging mad. The mother already had a growing dark mark on her face. The window started to ice over as Jack reacted. “You should really get that under control,” Pitch commented as the fern patterns blocked their view through the window.

“I hate abusive parents. And I can’t believe he’s doing this on Christmas,” Jack said with a disgusted look.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use the word ‘hate’ in a sentence before-” Pitch disappeared suddenly. Jack blinked a few times. Pitch found himself standing in Lilac’s closet. He couldn’t see, but he could hear sniffling.

“Please, Mr. Boogeyman. Please. Come back. Help me, Mr. Boogeyman,” she cried softly. Pitch couldn’t breathe. Jack was right. She had summoned him. By name. He crouched down, eyes glowing in the darkness, and he reached out carefully. She flinched at his touch, fearing it was her father somehow, but gasped when she saw Pitch’s eyes floating in front of her.

“It’s alright,” he said in a velvety, comforting voice.

“Boogeyman!” She whispered, smiling brightly. “You came…” Jack crept into the room through the window, looking for Pitch, and opened the closet. Lilac gasped and curled up tighter in the corner, again thinking it was her father.

“Pitch?”

“Sh!” Pitch rose out of the closet, blocking off the door with shadows. “You were right, happy? Now hush. No, no, no- stop it. Put that away,” he scolded as Jack smiled bigger and bigger at him, his eyes alight with pure joy.

“You have to help her! Make her father fear you or something, or- or- make him disappear! For a bit at least-”

“Shut up and let me focus!”

“Boogeyman? Who are you talking to?” Lilac fearlessly climbed through the shadows and out into her room. She had never heard of Jack Frost, so she couldn’t see him standing in front of Pitch.

“A friend,” Pitch said. “No matter.”

“Hey! More than a friend!” Jack snapped. Pitch ignored him, fully absorbed in Lilac’s attention. Jack let it slide, hovering around them both curiously.

“Now. Why did you call for me? Is it because of that?” Pitch asked, pointing down as he heard the yelling through her bedroom floor. Lilac nodded, curling in on herself. “What did you want me to do about it?”

“Make it stop. You made it stop last time you were here,” Lilac said, pouting up at him with huge eyes. He could see that her young soul knew darkness. He could see the memories that were filled with fear, flashing before his eyes like they were his own: her father chasing her through the house, screaming curse words; him chugging a beer and groaning about work; her mother kneeling in front of an overturned dinner table… His own rage and sadness grew as he watched. He looked up at Jack, lost. His eyes told Jack that he had no idea what to do.

“How you help her is up to you. I help children see the fun in everything. I make them forget their worries. But she doesn’t need fun right now. She needs… you,” Jack shrugged. “She asked for you.” Pitch knelt in front of her, making himself a little smaller. Shadows curled around them both like black fog on the floor. He lifted her chin with a finger.

“Listen to me. I cannot change people. I can only change how they feel.” Pitch started to get an idea. “But you have the power to change people. I tell you what… I’m going to lend you my power.” He put a hand on his chest. “You’re going to go downstairs and face your father yourself. You’re going to save your dear mother and show that man that you are a force to be reckoned with,” he said like he was speaking to a soldier.

“I’m scared…,” she whimpered.

“It’s okay to be scared. Only foolish people are never scared. You can face him.” He took her hand and swirled shadows on her palm, passing some of his power on in a binding spell. “You have some of my power. I will help you do anything you can imagine, and your father will think twice about ever trying to hurt you or your mother again,” he said, feeling the weight of his own promise. She clutched the darkness in her little hand and nodded, looking determined. Jack shrank back, skeptical but not wanting to intrude. Pitch felt tied to her, drawn from the room as she cautiously slipped through the door. Jack stayed back at a distance but followed to watch.

“Might as well make some use of yourself, woman!” Lilac trembled and nearly ran back upstairs as she heard the yelling. Pitch gave her a friendly nudge with a curl of shadow. She took a shuddering breath and walked into the living room, not drawing attention immediately as her father was trying to rip off her mother’s dress.

“Let Mommy go!”

“Darrell, no! Lilac, sweetie, go back up-” Lilac covered her face as her father knocked her mother out cold on the floor.

“I said shut up, woman!” Jack had to retreat back into the hall, icing over everything near himself in anger. Pitch was right, he thought, he needed to learn to control the emotional response. Thick storm clouds rolled outside, darkening everything until it seemed like nighttime.

“You got something to say to me?” To Lilac, her father seemed much larger than he really was, with pounding feet shaking the floor as he came closer. Pitch got ready to defend her, powered by her fear and channeling her anger. Lilac looked at her mother, unconscious and bruised, and gritted her teeth.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she whispered. Pitch could see her vision, and almost under her command, he followed suit. The entire room went black. Jack clutched the handrail, unable to see the nose in front of his face, like someone had thrown a blindfold over him. Lilac’s thoughts were loud in Pitch’s mind. Shadows reached out in the blackness, grazing over Darrell’s limbs in different directions. He flinched back, confused and angry.

“Turn the lights back on, right now!” He demanded. Another shadow swept under his legs and knocked him over at her will. Pitch could feel and envision what she wanted. She wanted to make her father feel small and helpless, like he made her feel. She wanted him to cower away in fear, to feel the sinking cold sickness of dread filling him until he couldn’t breathe. Bits of gray light from outside cut through the shadows, showing Darrell sharp flashes of his daughter, but she was different. An angle of light across her face showed gray skin, black eyes, and sharp teeth. Clawed hands grabbed at his legs, pulling him fiercely in different directions. The room had a sudden pressure to it, like he was a mile underwater. Darrell cried out, trying to smack at whatever was grabbing him. “Who’s in the house! Get the fuck out!” He shouted, swinging until the clawed hands scratched down his arms, drawing blood. Pitch could feel his frustration slowly turning into fear, so he upped the game. Another stream of light and he could see his daughter’s arm, longer than it should have been with huge black claws for fingers. “Lilac! Stop it! Cut it out, now!” Grayish light spread through the room, dulling the festive colors of the decorations. The darkness remained in thick patches, making it look like there were holes in the house that dropped into a different, solid black dimension. Jack peered out as Darrell crawled backwards away from Lilac.

“Why don’t you make some use of yourself?” Lilac said, floating up a foot off the ground. Darkness swirled around her, and when it obscured her from Darrell’s view, it showed him the demonic, clawed form she was imagining. Jack could see it, too, but he recognized it as one of Pitch’s illusion spells. Darrell covered his eyes, believing it to be a nightmare, willing himself to wake up. “Look at me!” Lilac screamed, her white dress waving like there was a gentle breeze around her. Darrell stared up at her from the floor, hyperventilating. Disfigured shadows bloomed behind her on the walls, baring wide mouths of sharp teeth and spreading long-clawed hands that reached out to Darrell, scratching at his limbs as they traveled across the floor. “Fear me,” Lilac and Pitch said in unison. Pitch rose on the wall behind her, his dark shadow form blocking out everything but his silhouette. Jack saw Pitch, full form, but Darrell only saw the shadow of a tall, dangerous figure rising behind Lilac with glowing yellow eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. Pitch started to draw on Darrell’s own fears, seeing glimpses of a far worse childhood of alcohol and abuse.

“This ends with you,” he muttered under his breath, looking at Darrell with revulsion. Darrell started to relive the memories, dredging up fears and pains he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years. As he choked a terrified sob, Lilac started to draw everything back. Seeing her father, the terrifying, abusive drunkard, crying on the floor in front of her, grounded her. Pitch brought her back to the floor. Darrell rolled over onto his side, clutching his head and trying to block out the memories. Lilac took a few shuddering breaths, releasing Pitch’s darkness back to him. She turned to face him and then hugged him tightly as high as she could reach. He lowered himself in the shadows and bent down to return her embrace, stroking her head gently. “I told you you could face him,” he whispered quietly.

“What do I do now…?” She asked, looking up at Pitch with watery eyes.

“Any time he starts to get out of line, you just meet his eyes. You stare into his soul and remind him of how he felt in this moment. Remind him that you are strong, and that you won’t tolerate him.” He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “And remind yourself, too. You don’t need me to be strong.”

“Thank you, Mr. Boogeyman,” she said, giving him one more squeeze. He let her go and stood again. “Do you have to go?” She muttered.

“Yes. But… if you need a good scare, maybe I’ll end up under your bed one day.” He tapped her nose.

“Tell your friend I said hi,” Lilac said as Pitch made a portal and motioned for Jack to join him.

“I think he heard you,” Pitch smirked. Jack followed Pitch through his portal to the woods outside Lilac’s neighborhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has Jack done it? Has he fulfilled his promise to find Pitch a good purpose? Comment your thoughts below! Thanks for reading!


	40. Ultimate

**Ch. 40- Ultimate**

Jack wanted to ask him a hundred questions, but Pitch looked lost in thought. He dropped to his feet and walked silently beside Pitch, never leaving the other’s shadow. A while later, deeper into the woods, Pitch finally spoke.

“Do you think it helped?” He asked as he stopped. “Do you think she’s alright?” Jack looked up at him.

“Of course,” he said sincerely. Jack chose his words carefully. “You were amazing. Pitch, you helped her overcome her fears, set her up for success, and made her believe.”

“I feel strange…” Jack was burning with inner excitement.

“Let me tell you a secret. The Guardians, we don’t just try to get children to believe in us. Our ultimate goal is to protect them until they’re grown and strong enough to believe in themselves. That’s what you did for Lilac. So, I mean… that kind of makes you a Guardian, too.” He poked him in the chest.

“Don’t even try to go there.” Pitch glared, but Jack couldn’t stop smiling. “I am not a Guardian.”

“I don’t know,” Jack sing-songed, “that’s what I said at first, too.” Jack circled him, staff up across his shoulders and arms slung over it. Pitch tripped him with a shadow. “Hey!” Jack laughed and rolled back to his feet. “Hey,” he said softer. “How are you feeling?” Pitch looked at his hands then his shadows at his feet.

“I feel…” He took a deep breath, energy and power filling his being. “Powerful.” He threw his hands out to the sides. Shadows unfurled around him in immediate response. Two great wings of darkness spanning fifteen feet without being fully stretched spread from his back with feathers in different shades of cosmic black. Each “feather” was inky, dark, and speckled with light it seemed to absorb rather than reflect. His cloak billowed around him, darkness spreading like fractals from his feet. They crept across the ground, up the trees, but around Jack, avoiding him. A large, black hood formed over Pitch’s head, obscuring his face. He brought his hands together slowly, and his scythe appeared as they met, with a blade twice the original size. He rolled his head back, taking another deep, satisfying inhale. He felt larger than life, his shadows pulsing with energy. Jack watched in awe, sharing Pitch’s joy. “I feel… believed in,” he said, his eyes glowing through the shade of the hood. Jack floated over the shadows to come closer, trying to ignore his insta-boner.

“You look like the Grim Reaper. It’s badass.”

“It’s entirely different from how I felt when children feared me… nothing like my power during the Dark Ages.”

“It’s a different kind of belief,” Jack reasoned.

“It feels so… good.” Jack smiled, hovering in front of him. He noticed a shift in the air and in Pitch’s glowing eyes. “And now I want to feel even better.” Jack didn’t have time to react before Pitch sent shadows after him. One looped around each limb, holding him spread-eagle by his wrists and ankles.

“Whoa! Hey now… we’re, uh, we’re outside…”

“Does that really bother you?” Pitch grinned, tossing his scythe to the side and making it disappear. “No one can see us.” Jack tugged at the restraints and started icing over them. “And I can see you’re already excited,” he smirked.”

“Let’s take this back to Nightfall.” Pitch surrounded them both in darkness and covered Jack’s hands, working the shadows up to his elbows. Jack tried to yank free but couldn’t. “Hey!”

“What’s wrong, snowflake? Can’t you escape?” Pitch used a shadow to cover his mouth and dissolved Jack’s clothes in darkness, fueled by his own desire. He hungered for the limitless energy of the star-powered sprite and for the flesh of the creature he loved. Jack shivered as Pitch ran his hands up and down his bare skin. Swirling shadows brought Jack closer as Pitch let his cloak dissolve into the surrounding darkness. Pitch grinned wider as Jack started to give in, growing more excited. Pitch wrapped an arm around Jack, pressing their torsos together, and ground against him. He removed the shadow over Jack’s mouth and caught his moan before it grew too loud, kissing Jack deeply until he was gasping for air. Jack’s mind was a blur of panic and lust. He was worried someone would see them, especially since only children would be able to, but he was quickly losing his grip on reality in the dark cocoon Pitch had created.

“Pitch!” Jack cried out as he felt a warm hand on his length, squeezing and stroking him ruthlessly. Pitch drew the shadows around, forcing Jack’s legs around his waist, and let another shadow take over down below. One wrapped around Jack’s shaft and continued to fondle him, while another probed hungrily at his entrance. Pitch maneuvered them both and pressed Jack’s back into a tree, enjoying the little faces he made- discomfort, desire, embarrassment… submission.

“I’m here, Jack.” Jack tugged at the shadows holding his arms out to the sides, but Pitch held onto him a little longer. He stroked himself languidly to the view of Jack at the mercy of his shadows, pulsing in his own hand as Jack cried out to the intrusion of the shadow behind him. Pitch moved the shadows carefully, purposefully avoiding all the spots Jack liked most. His face was flushed and torn with the torture of being touched but not touched right. Pitch leaned forward and bit at Jack’s chest, nipping and twisting and leaving little marks everywhere he could. Jack’s stifled mutterings and incoherent words were cute and encouraging, but he knew Jack could be louder. He lined up and replaced the shadow with his own length, driving in with one hard thrust. He released Jack’s arms, bathing in the sound of his desperate moan as the sprite wrapped his arms around Pitch’s shoulders. Jack couldn’t contain his ice this time, casting swirls and ferns down Pitch’s back. He arched and shivered at the sensation, and his new wings rolled and flexed to break the thin layers of ice. Pitch followed Jack’s gaze as he admired the new limbs.

“They’re beautiful…,” he whispered. Pitch tested his control and wrapped one wing around Jack and himself. “Like distant galaxies.” Jack reached up and ran a hand down the outer layer and along the joint. Pitch inhaled sharply, not ready for how sensitive they would be. He folded his wings back together and slid his hands down to Jack’s waist.

“Ready?”

“Please,” Jack begged, nodding with wide eyes. Pitch kissed Jack again, sucking and biting into his lips as he started thrusting at a quick pace. He pressed Jack into the tree, lost in their combined fervor. Jack scrambled at his back, trying to get as close as he could, scratching lightly at Pitch’s shoulders. He tightened down by locking his ankles. Each felt a growing haze take them over as they moved towards the other in synch, their rhythm frantic and passionate. Pitch slid one hand to the small of Jack’s back, massaging firmly into the spot he knew would work. Jack lost his hold on their kiss, moaning softly in response. He tilted his head back, breathing harder as his limbs coursed through with electric-like stimulation. Pitch took his chance to claim Jack’s throat, biting down across his right side above the collarbone and sucking a dark mark into the pale skin. He felt Jack’s voice vibrating through his throat, the sensation trickling down to the growing heat in his core. He lasted longer this time, almost violently thrusting into Jack as he pressed him against the tree. Jack was fully lost to pleasure, his mind flickering between his own desire and squeezing down to make Pitch feel better, too. “Close,” he whispered into Pitch’s ear. That one word spurned him to double his efforts, pulling on Jack’s hips to get as deep as he could.

“Come for me.” Pitch demanded in a whisper, and Jack whimpered into a choked moan as he obeyed, blooming and twitching between them. Pitch rode out his tight climax and buried himself in the sprite to follow suit. Jack slumped into the crook of his shoulder, his limbs limp. Pitch became more aware of his weight and used the shadows to help support him. He kept Jack distracted with little words of praise as he pulled out and the shadows cleaned them both off. “So good for me… so beautiful, and passionate… my fragile little snowflake.” He stroked Jack’s hair, working to control his own breathing as the darkness receded slowly around them.

“Mm…” Jack murmured, sounding like he was falling asleep. Pitch shook him gently to keep him awake.

“Can you stand?” He chuckled quietly, kissing his cheek.

“I can’t move… want to sleep…,” Jack mumbled with a happy smile.

“Alright, little light.” He shifted so he carried Jack bridal style, Jack’s arms still draped over his shoulders.

“Vampire,” Jack accused playfully.

“Snowflake,” Pitch bit back.

“Long-nose.”

“Feisty brat.”

“Dirty old man.”

“Stardust.” Pitch made a portal back to Nightfall, eyes never leaving Jack’s as the sprite started to fall asleep.

“Booger-man.”

“You need to work on your pet names. They sound rather like insults.” He glided into the hall on his shadows.

“Mm… ‘m not fragile,” he muttered.

“No, you’re a strong, icy warrior,” Pitch smirked.

“Lord of Darkness,” Jack said under his breath with a coy smile. Pitch started to head for his bedroom, enjoying the walk with his claimed lover, when he noticed something felt a little… off.

“Something’s not right.” Jack lifted his head to fight unconsciousness.

“Hm? What is it?”

“I’m not sure. It feels… like an intruder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really do love a good cliffhanger... >u>  
> Don't worry though, I'll have another upload tomorrow for the New Year!


	41. A Sliver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to all my precious readers, and thanks for a wonderful end of the year! This story really carried me through the chaos of 2020, so I'm overjoyed and humbled to be able to share it with you and read comments about how it's helped you, too! Now, back to that intruder alert in Nightfall...

**Ch. 41- A Sliver**

“I need you to walk.” Pitch lowered Jack to his feet carefully. Jack leaned on him heavily, fighting fatigue, and summoned his staff to use as a walking stick. Pitch returned Jack’s clothes, and Jack summoned the white cloak for comfort and for the light it spread into the hallway. He looked around as he fastened it.

“Intruder? Does that happen often?”

“No. But it’s only quiet like this when there’s uninvited company. It’s been humans several times, when they found a tunnel by accident or if a fearling left a portal open. The fearlings…” Pitch realized, trying to sense them. Jack followed slowly and stifled a yawn as Pitch walked down the hall. “I can’t feel them.” Jack turned as he heard a voice echoing down a distant hallway.

“Did you hear that?”

“No.” Pitch was still trying to sense the fearlings, spreading darkness and shadows to find them. His thoughts raced as he worried about where they were- had they grown tired of idleness and decided to head to the surface on their own?

“We should split up. You find the fearlings, and I’m gonna find out what the noise was.”

“Jack, you look like you’re going to pass out. Stay with me.”

“I’m fine. I can still cast a portal, and I can still freeze things.” He walked away rather than hovering to conserve energy.

“If you don’t come find me within five minutes-”

“Okay, _Mom,_ ” Jack teased. He turned the corner, and Pitch headed the other way to find his fearlings. In the main hall, he could start to sense them but in far fewer numbers than usual. He followed the distant, whispering voices and feelings of emptiness down tunnels to the western wing, and he was greeted with a horrific sight halfway in. Anger churned like rising magma as a wounded fearling, a fidget, Jack realized, crept from the dark hallway, reaching out to him.

“What happened?” He demanded. The fidget collapsed and disappeared like smoke in the wind, leaving a black stain on the stone floor. The darkness of the hallway was the gore of hundreds of slain fearlings, flat on the walls and floor like oily, dried paint.

Jack wasn’t making much headway as he limped through the halls in the southern wing, but the sounds were slowly turning into voices. He started to fear the worst as he recognized deep voices and thick accents. He heard magic sand and buzzing wings and soft, heavy footprints. Bunny nearly ran straight into him.

“Jack!” The sprite had no idea that to Bunnymund, he looked weakened and desperate. He was still a little flushed from their activities in the woods, his hair was messy, and he leaned heavily on the staff with a tired look. “What’s happened to you, mate…?” He reached out, but Jack took a step back away from him.

“Nothing. What are you all doing here?” Jack said, glaring at each Guardian in turn. North and Tooth flanked Bunny with Sandman floating behind them looking solemn.

“We came for you,” Bunny answered, crouching down and trying to be gentler in his approach as they’d planned.

“I didn’t need you to,” he said, brows furrowed. North stepped forward.

“You need to come back with us, Jack.” Jack was about to protest when his eyes fell on North’s curved swords. The blades were stained black with what looked like ink, one still dripping.

“What did you do…?” He asked breathlessly. He used his sudden rage to push through the exhaustion and burst through the group with a cold wind, landing behind them. There were several dark stains on the floor, remnants of the fearlings that had attacked the intruders just moments before. Jack crouched down, his breathing shallow as he ran his fingers over one of the black spots, staining his fingertips. His eyes filled with angry tears. “Ahh!” He screamed at them and whipped around, blasting ice in every direction. Spikes hit the wall and exploded with shrapnel. Sandy dodged and tried to block the projectiles with thin discs of sand. Tooth couldn’t dodge fast enough, grazed in the wing with a cold blast. North caught her as she came spinning back at him.

“Jack! Stop!” Bunny shouted, hopping fast to get out of the way. Pitch heard Jack’s scream echo down the halls and shadow-shifted to find him. He followed the cold air as fast as he could.

“You didn’t listen to _anything_ I said!” Jack cried out, shooting lethal arrows of ice from his staff like a bow with a magic blue string. North covered himself and Tooth in his cloak, able to stop most of the arrows and taking another in the shoulder. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done!”

“Why are you defending the fearlings!” Bunnymund shouted back, tossing the boomerangs. The space was too small for him to get a good hook, and they both clashed, landed behind Jack, and slid down the hall. Pitch appeared on the other side of the Guardians as Bunny kicked off the wall, aiming for Jack. He cast a portal around all of them and transported them to the main hall to put space between everyone. Jack’s next shot of arrows went sailing off into the black pit around the main hall. Bunny went flying to the side and landed on a far wall where gravity shifted. “What the…” Pitch glided around and put himself between Jack and the Guardians.

“Pitch…” Jack looked up at him with despair. “They were killing the fearlings… That’s why you couldn’t feel them.”

“I know. I saw. But you’re in no state to fight,” he said quietly. “We need to end this peacefully.”

“No. I’m done trying to find peace with them! I’m done!” Jack lifted his staff to fire again and wobbled with exertion. Pitch caught him. North stood and released Tooth. He signaled to the others that they were moving to the next phase of the plan.

“Please, Jack, sit this out.” He set Jack on the floor and scooted him away with a shadow. He picked up Jack’s staff to keep him from being tempted to use it. Jack tried to stand but couldn’t yet. He gritted his teeth and tried to wait for his energy to return, refusing to pass out. Pitch caught each of the Guardians with a shadow around their feet, drawing them together in front of him. North pulled at his grip, grumbling.

“It’s like tar,” Bunny groaned as it pulled at his fur.

“Pitch, just give us Jack!” Tooth said.

“Jack is here willingly,” Pitch said, growing bigger to block him from their view. “And you’re here uninvited.” Sandman broke free from the shadows easily, all too familiar with Pitch’s dark magic, and he darted around with his golden whips. Pitch shot shadows at him, but Sandman was fast for his pudgy little form. Sandman whipped out at Jack and wrapped him up tightly, the sand coiling around him like thin snakes. He reeled Jack onto his sandy dream cloud and flew around, avoiding Pitch’s shots.

“Let me go!” Jack pulled at the whips and tried to roll off Sandy’s cloud. He yanked Jack closer and made sure to cover his hands as he started casting ice over the sand. “I don’t want to go with you! You’re murderers!” Sandman stopped, shocked by the accusation, and it was just enough distraction for Pitch to shoot him down from the cloud. Sandy landed on the floor next to North, and the cloud kept drifting. Sand sprinkled over North, knocking him out, and the large man fell over onto Sandman, keeping him down. Pitch reached over and used the darkness to free Jack from the whips. Jack grabbed a handful of sand from the cloud and started to mix it with snow to form a golden snowball.

“Jack, wait! Please!” Bunny stopped in front of him, setting the boomerangs down in surrender. “Just wait.” The remaining fearlings had started to circle the room, beady eyes blinking out. Jack held back at the ready, glaring Bunny down. “You can’t- this isn’t you…”

“I am more myself than I’ve been in over three hundred years. I have my memory, and I have clarity! I made the deal with Pitch. I got him to have a change of heart. I can do the same with the fearlings. I told you- I told all of you!” He tossed the snowball down at the ground. “That these fearlings used to be children! And you murdered them!” Bunny’s ears dropped, cowering under Jack and seeming to shrink. Tooth tucked her hands under her arms, starting to wonder if they had been wrong about the fearlings. Sandman was still trying to crawl out from under North. Jack started to wobble again, and Pitch shifted to his side to hold him up. Bunny used the distraction to go help Sandman. He scooted backwards, trying to roll North off the golden spirit. “Lend me some of your power,” Jack said to Pitch. “Please. I’m gonna pass out…”

“I told you to sit this out. And… it’s different, Jack, I can’t just… It would consume you.” Jack gave him a hard look. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Yes. Just until they’re gone. Please. I’ve felt it before, I know what to expect this time.” Bunny freed Sandman, and Pitch agreed. He pressed his forehead against Jack’s and cast a transferring spell, surrounding them both in darkness for a split second. Jack gasped at the weight and sharpness that came with his magic, feeling heavier but more awake. Pitch released him. North charged at them both but skidded to a stop as he met Jack’s eyes. Black swirled around and filled the whites of Jack’s eyes, and then it faded back to normal. North faltered, taking a step back and looking at Pitch.

“Monster…”

“No, you’re the monsters,” Jack said, summoning his staff. Twiner shrank down in his hands, and the dagger appeared at the bottom. He turned the staff around, forming it into a naginata and pointing the blade at North. “Ah!” He cried out and leapt at North with an overhead strike. His blows were faster than usual, and North could only keep up because he could replace one blade with the next. North could only summon so much speed and strength from the children’s belief; it was just enough to match Jack’s flurry of attacks. Jack called on the darkness to obscure North’s vision, casting a shadow across his eyes. North swung out blindly, and Jack hooked one sword with the crook of his staff, flinging it across the room. Pitch blocked Bunnymund and Tooth from helping North, stretching his wings as wide as they would go. Sandman stared, unsure how to react to Pitch’s new power. He held them all off easily with huge, shifting columns of shadow.

“Maybe you should have listened to Jack,” he said calmly. Jack managed to disarm North fully and knock him down. He landed on North’s chest and pressed the tip of his dagger against his neck. He was surprised by how easy the shadows made everything. They obeyed his imagination instantly, just like his ice. He lifted one of North’s swords with a shadow and licked the fearling blood from the blade, feeling a surge in his shared dark power. North stared up in horror and confusion.

“You killed children with this sword. How does that make you feel?”

“They were not children, Jack, they were fearlings-”

“It’s the same thing!” Jack shouted, pressing harder. Pitch had backed the other Guardians into his hanging cages and was keeping them held shut with shadows, and he moved so they could see Jack. He was impressed with how easily Jack had brought North down, even in his fatigued state, and wanted to let him talk. “The fearlings were children. Starving, dying, suffering… Child laborers trapped in the chimneys they were cleaning, nearly burned alive, or gravely injured at a factory and fired, unable to make enough money to feed themselves! Victims of abuse or abandonment. A child soldier who stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan and was left to bleed out. They chose to become fearlings to escape that pain, just to fall by your sword!”

“That’s not true. Pitch is lying to you!” North said. “Fearlings have always existed! Sandman said so himself.” Jack looked over at Sandy’s cage and shot himself through the air at him. He landed on the cage hard, perching against it and rocking it violently. Sandman backed away from Jack, also catching the swirl of blackness in his eyes.

“Is that true? You told him that _all_ fearlings were from the Golden Age?”

_“I said what I knew to be true-”_

“Ah, get out of my head!” Jack slammed his staff against the cage, making it ring loudly and swing back and forth as he floated away. “You’re liars! And murderers!” Pitch sensed the darkness claiming Jack and guiding his judgment. He swept over to Jack and started stealing it back discreetly. He released the shadows holding the cages shut, and the Guardians rushed to regroup with North. Jack started to fall out of the air, and North shook a snow globe. He threw it and it landed under Jack, opening a portal to Santoff Claussen. Pitch rushed to catch him. Bunnymund chucked the boomerangs and Tooth flew with them, shooting bursts of light at Pitch. He took the hits and grabbed Jack, rolling into the shadows with him. He panted heavily, scared of losing Jack, and his anger grew once more. He was sick of them trying to take Jack away, sick of how upset they made Jack, and sick of them refusing to listen. He waited a few moments to make sure Jack was out cold before returning to the main hall.

“Leave us,” Pitch said in a warning voice as he rose as a massive shadow against the tallest wall.

“We’re not leaving without Jack,” Bunnymund declared.

“We can see the darkness you’ve put in him!” Tooth said.

“I said… _leave._ ” Pitch spread his wings in shadow form, encompassing the entire room in darkness. The Guardians stayed closed to Sandman for his golden glow, huddling together. Pitch used solid arms of shadow reaching out from the darkness to yank them away from each other. He cast each one through a different portal to the surface world, saving Sandman for last. He returned to normal size and stood in front of Sandman, wings half-folded, holding his scythe out to the side. “Jack is here because he wants to be. Come anywhere near him, and I’ll kill you. He is mine.”

 _“Jack Frost is infected with darkness. How can you know what he wants?”_ Pitch had hoped Sandman would open his mind and leave himself vulnerable. He breached the connection and projected memories loudly, showing Sandman the conversations he’d shared with Jack.

 _“I cast the spell so it could only be reversed… with true love’s kiss… I want you, Pitch. I love you. … But that also means you’re mine. … Let me tell you a secret. … Our ultimate goal is to protect them until they’re grown and strong enough to believe in themselves. That’s what you did for Lilac. So, I mean… that kind of makes you a Guardian, too.”_ Sandman floated down to his feet, cringing at the feeling of Pitch forcing his memories through the mental bond.

“I know exactly what Jack wants, and I want it, too. Now, leave.” He forced Sandman through a portal and slowly retracted his shadows. He shifted around the castle, taking Jack to his bedroom to make him comfortable and then checking every entrance to Nightfall and sealing it off with powerful spells. He took a count of the remaining fearlings and then returned to Jack to wait for him to wake up. He lit a small fire and sat in his armchair, fingers on the bridge of his nose as he tried to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. “Oh, Jack… what have you done to me?”

A sliver of darkness had remained with Jack and crept into his dreams. He was back in one of his favorite dreams, flying over a forest at night and freezing things to welcome in winter. Something caught his eye and gave chase through the trees. He flew after it, having fun with how playful the mystery creature was. He managed to corner it against a steep hill and found out that it was a fidget. He knelt and reached out to it, happy when it nuzzled his lap. Jack smiled in his sleep as the darkness curled into his heart.

“You’re not monsters… you just need someone to have fun with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look for the next post on Monday! <3


	42. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is coming so late in the day! Ch. 43 is getting posted right after this, though, since they tie in together.

**Ch. 42- Control**

Pitch was pacing by the fireplace, now reduced to faint red embers glowing beneath the bark of the wood, when Jack woke. As Jack sat up, Pitch looked over and hid his warring emotions quickly. He folded his hands in front of himself and glided over with a look of concern.

“Jack.”

“What happened?” He asked, taking a sharp inhale.

“I made them leave. I barricaded all the entrances. You’re safe now. They can’t take you from me.” He ran a knuckle over Jack’s cheek gently. Jack reached up and took his hand, pressing his face into it for comfort. Pitch felt a welcome warmth at the gesture, though he was still concerned about what it truly meant for him.

“How long was I out?”

“A while. I was starting to worry,” Pitch admitted as Jack released his hand.

“You, worried? About little ol’ me?” Jack smirked and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Pitch kept a small smile to himself, closing his eyes in thought as Jack got up, summoned his staff, and used it to help him stretch. Pitch noticed the fearlings in every corner of the room had perked up. They’d been lurking all along, seeming to wait with Pitch for Jack to wake up, and now their little beady eyes stared at him from an amorphous blob of darkness. “Hey, guys…” Jack walked up to the shadow in the corner of the room and reached out. A few fearlings spilled out from the corner as they took form and nipped at his hand, teeth gnashing but never actually making contact. Jack just chuckled, but Pitch was more than a little surprised. The sprite treated the fearlings like pets, but he knew what those teeth and haunting voices could become if provoked in the slightest. “So… what’s the damage?” Jack asked, shaking Pitch from his thoughts.

“You mean, how many were lost?” He clarified. He was hesitant to fill Jack in on the numbers. Jack nodded with a stern grimace as Pitch tried to find a gentle way to word things. He was more concerned about sparking Jack’s anger than about hurting his feelings. “It’s hard to keep count of them, but I had about fifty thousand at any given time.” He noticed Jack’s look of confusion. “They flow in and out of existence, like shadows running from the sun.” He moved his hands a little as he spoke. “Sometimes they are born in darkness, sometimes they convert children, and sometimes their own mischief leads to their demise. And it’s harder to sense them when they’re all huddled in darkness like that,” he pointed to the dark corner, “versus when they take a full form.”

“But fifty-k is your rough estimate?”

“Yes. And I’m not sure you want me to answer your question.” He eyed Jack, unaware that the fearlings could sense his reluctance to share wholly and honestly. His mind’s eye flashed with Jack beating Sandman’s cage and quickly succumbing to the darkness he’d been lent.

“I do,” Jack said firmly.

“Around six thousand were slain,” he said.

“Thousand?” Jack repeated in shock. “How!”

“It’s my fault. We were gone for a while. I left the castle vulnerable. You wanted to come back to Nightfall,” Pitch said, his face torn in remorse as he closed his eyes. “I should have brought us back when you wanted to.”

“No.” Pitch saw burning rage in Jack’s eyes despite his calm demeanor. He also noticed Jack had both feet on the ground still and wasn’t darting all over the place restlessly. For once, he was still. The change in behavior worried him. “It was not your fault. They shouldn’t have invaded. The Guardians-” Jack interrupted himself with a scoff- “I don’t even want to call them that anymore. It’s their fault for not listening and for attacking like that.”

“Yes, but if I had just-”

“Stop it,” Jack said. He walked up to Pitch and put the crook of his staff under Pitch’s chin, looking up at the taller spirit. “You’re a General. You don’t dwell on tactical failures.” Pitch tilted the staff away with a finger, raising a brow at Jack. But he was right, Pitch realized. He shouldn’t be losing his composure over anything, let alone a small loss in battle. To avoid his own emotions, he decided to turn things back on Jack and see if he could bring out his playfulness again.

“Very well.” He weighed his options. “It’s your fault. I wanted to stay here, and you wanted me to help that child.” Jack’s lip twisted as he floated up to get level with Pitch.

“That was part of the deal, finding you a purpose.” Pitch realized Jack was taking him seriously.

“Oh, the Guardians definitely take most of the blame, but you have your own claim, as well.” Jack caught on then, noticing the light in Pitch’s eyes. His smile was a little more genuine, and his eyes swirled with humour.

“What’ll it be, then? Insubordination? Neglect? Dereliction of duty?” He listed off, landing on his feet and walking around in little circles.

“Either way, I’ll have to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Clearly, you require more training. You put my army at risk for a little girl.” Jack gave him a mischievous grin.

“Yeah, but she believes in you.” Pitch’s face started to fall as he remembered the weight of his situation. As if he hadn’t spent the entirety of Jack’s unconsciousness worrying about what Lilac’s belief was doing to his powers, to his authority over the fearlings and the darkness… What if this idea of Jack’s, this plan to find a good purpose, provoked the darkness and caused more harm than good? Could he simply decide to stop hunting nightmares and use his power over fear to protect children? Would the darkness allow it?

“It’s her belief that concerns me,” he admitted quietly. Jack realized they were being serious again as Pitch sat in his large chair. He felt heavy. Jack flew over and perched on the arm of the chair like a bird, his arms hanging over his knees.

“Why?”

“The darkness demands conflict. You’ve felt it before, twice now.” He met Jack’s eyes. “I saw how quickly it started to affect you the second time. It clouds judgment, encourages war, tells you to hurt others. It leaves no room for the honest magic of a child’s belief. I fear for her and any other child I try to help.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Jack said, sliding back to his feet. “I’ll help you use your powers for the children who need you. I’ll help you handle and foster their belief. And I’m going to work with the fearlings the same way. I know I can get somewhere with them.”

“Jack.”

“Just like I knew you had a purpose, I know they have a purpose, too.”

“Jack,” Pitch said a little harsher. “The only fearlings you would have had a chance with were the converted children.” He knew he had to tell Jack the rest of the story, even if it hurt.

“What do you mean?” Pitch noticed how he gripped his staff tighter and how his eyes fell dark under his messy bangs.

“Most of the fearlings that were slain were the ones that used to be children,” Pitch said just above a whisper. “The ancient fearlings and the ones born from darkness are stronger, and they held out longer in battle. There are… maybe ten thousand child fearlings left. Maybe.” Pitch noticed a very sudden shift, like Jack had been punched in the stomach. He hunched over, and Jack’s fern patterns of frost crept around the edges of the room. “Control that,” Pitch warned.

“I can’t…” Jack covered his face, shaking lightly, his staff standing on its own beside him. Pitch went up to him and ran a hand through his hair, trying to offer some comfort but not really knowing how. “You’re telling me that the others… only killed child fearlings… when they invaded?” He said between heavy breaths and gritted teeth. Pitch heard whispering voices rise like static, increasing in volume as he grew more concerned about Jack’s anger and lack of control. He caught only half-words and sharp, hissed phrases in their strange language, but he could tell they were questioning him. They could sense his fear- he was afraid of hurting Jack, afraid he would lose some control of his powers, afraid he would storm off (possibly literally), afraid he would run again, afraid Jack would be upset enough to leave him alone again. He tried to command their silence, but while they quieted, the intense atmosphere remained. Pitch felt harsh, judging eyes on him as he tried to keep Jack calm.

“There’s no way they could have known,” he said, finding it hard to believe that he was defending the Guardians to Jack. “By nature alone, the ancient fearlings are smarter and better fighters. They survive better.”

“But all they had to do was listen to me!” Jack shouted suddenly, his volume as painful as the bite of a cold wind. The fearlings saw Pitch flinch back, afraid of Jack’s random shots of ice that often followed his frustration. “I told them… I told them… what the fearlings were…,” he growled.

“Put it behind you. Your irritation with them won’t solve anything right now. You need to keep learning to control your magic.” Pitch decided to switch subjects. “Remember when you were watching me work with Lilac, how angry her father made you? What if you end up hurting someone? If you can’t control your ice magic and you hurt a child, you’ll never forgive yourself.” Pitch held his breath and kept an arm’s length away, waiting to see if his words had any effect. Jack huffed like a deflating balloon and thumped his staff in defeat. He gave a few quick nods and looked at the floor. Pitch looked around the room, glaring at the fearlings, but he knew the damage was done. They had looked at him like this before, most recently after the Easter battle when his own Night Mares had chased him into the deepest corners of Nightfall. It took fierce hunting to regain their full loyalty, and that wasn’t something he planned on doing anytime soon.

“I guess I’ll go train then,” Jack finally said, heading for the door.

“Very well. What shall we work on?”

“Alone.” Pitch had started to follow but stopped. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at them. I just need…”

“Time. And we have plenty of time,” Pitch said, letting him go. He went to the nightstand and picked up Jack’s music player. “Here.” He tossed it to Jack. “It’s charged,” he said with a knowing look. Jack tried to smile, but it didn’t form all the way.

“Thank you.” He walked out and went to go find an empty room to practice in. Pitch stared at the door for a moment. He had been alone with the darkness and the fearlings here in Nightfall for centuries. Suddenly, it felt far emptier. Jack was still, perhaps now more than ever, a bright and shining light that filled rooms and hearts with warmth and energy. But the brighter he shined, the darker the space he left behind when he was gone. Pitch knew his new feelings bordered on obsession and certainly crossed into possessiveness, leaving him vulnerable. Some of the fearlings crept closer to him, and he could better make out what they were saying.

_Jack Frost_

_All alone_

_Can’t stand it_

_Kill him_

_Frost’s rage keeps the Moon away_

_Ravage him_

_Or don’t_

_Scared guardians_

_They fear him_

_Impish boy_

_Strikes fear_

_Does it better than you ever did_

_Angry spirit_

_Rage blinding him_

_Kill the Guardians_

_Now he left you alone_

_Everyone leaves you all alone_

_Scared of him_

_Shadows are hungry_

Pitch struck a match and stoked the fire back to full life, scattering some of the fearlings. “Shut up! All of you! Insubordinate little _worms_.” Pitch bared long, sharp teeth at them, shifting forms as his eyes glowed bright yellow. He scared a few back into the shadows. “I’m giving you things you’ve never had access to before. Do not question me over my fleeting thoughts for a powerful ally.” Pitch was used to their horrible haunting and taunting. He could tune it out after hearing it for thousands of years. They just liked to talk. But he wouldn’t tolerate them talking about Jack that way. Jack was the only true light this Earth had, and he no longer wanted to snuff him out. He wanted to keep that light to himself. All to himself. As he stared at the fire, though, one thing they said stuck with him. His anger keeps the Moon away. And Pitch realized the last time he remembered seeing the Moon was at the lake where he’d drowned Jack. Had they done so well avoiding Man in the Moon, or was there another reason for the absence?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note- my version of the Fearlings speak almost solely in Acrostics for the rest of the story~


	43. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish the font from my Word Document copied over... the fearlings' dialogue looks so much creepier in Chiller font~

**Ch. 43- Dark**

“Jack.” Jack heard his voice like it was distant as he woke up, trying to remember how to breathe.

“What happened?” He only caught about half of Pitch’s response. He felt like he’d been asleep for days.

“I made them leave... entrances… safe now. They can’t take you from me.” Jack recognized the sincerity in his voice and touched his hand, leaning towards his touch. The contact was calming.

“How long was I out?”

“A while. I was starting to worry.” Jack looked up at Pitch with a prying smirk.

“You, worried? About little ol’ me?” He got up quickly, feeling like he’d been in bed far too long, and summoned Twiner. He started warming up his muscles and then saw all the creepy little eyes looking out at him from the corners. “Hey, guys,” he greeted, unafraid. He wanted to pet them, but he knew they generally didn’t allow it. He’d gotten a few scratches to prove it. But now, they seemed playful, jumping up to bite at him but not actually making contact. He refocused then, worried about the invasion. “So… what’s the damage?” He noticed that Pitch seemed slow to answer.

“You mean, how many were lost?” Jack nodded and turned towards him, waiting for an answer. “It’s hard to keep count of them, but I had about fifty thousand at any given time.” Jack’s brow creased. How did he not know how many fearlings he had? North knew how many elves and yetis he had. Tooth knew how many MiniFairies she had. “They flow in and out of existence, like shadows running from the sun.” Jack watched Pitch try to form an explanation. “Sometimes they are born in darkness, sometimes they convert children, and sometimes their own mischief leads to their demise. And it’s harder to sense them when they’re all huddled in darkness like that,” he pointed to the dark corner, “versus when they take a full form.” Jack looked at the shadows. It made sense, he figured. Yetis and elves and fairies are always in a solid form. Shadows aren’t always so easy to keep track of.

“But fifty-k is your rough estimate?”

“Yes. And I’m not sure you want me to answer your question.” Jack was confused further. What was Pitch hiding? Why was he hiding things? He grew suspicious.

“I do.”

“Around six thousand were slain.” Jack wasn’t expecting that. Perhaps he would have been better off not knowing, he thought.

“Thousand?” He had expected a number in the hundreds, max. “How!”

“It’s my fault.” Of course Pitch would blame himself. But he had no reason to, Jack reasoned. “We were gone for a while. I left the castle vulnerable. You wanted to come back to Nightfall.” Jack looked up into Pitch’s eyes. “I should have brought us back when you wanted to.”

“No. It was not your fault. They shouldn’t have invaded. The Guardians-” Jack felt disgusted saying that word now- “I don’t even want to call them that anymore. It’s their fault for not listening and for attacking like that.”

“Yes, but if I had just-” Jack shook his head.

“Stop it.” Jack used Twiner to silence Pitch. “You’re a General. You don’t dwell on tactical failures.” He seemed a bit more confident in himself as Pitch started to agree.

“Very well. It’s your fault. I wanted to stay here, and you wanted me to help that child.” Jack glared at Pitch as he got level with him. How dare Pitch point the blame at him after everything he’d done?

“That was part of the deal, finding you a purpose,” he started.

“Oh, the Guardians definitely take most of the blame, but you have your own claim, as well.” Jack felt a little abashed when he realized Pitch was joking and trying to make light of the situation. He dropped to the floor and decided to play along, twirling the staff.

“What’ll it be, then? Insubordination? Neglect? Dereliction of duty?”

“Either way, I’ll have to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Clearly, you require more training. You put my army at risk for a little girl.” Jack had a big smile ready for that.

“Yeah, but she believes in you.” His smile fell as Pitch seemed to travel off in thought, his eyes becoming distant. Jack stepped closer, concerned.

“It’s her belief that concerns me.” Jack followed him to the fireplace, wanting to be as close as possible.

“Why?” How could being believed in possibly be a bad thing?

“The darkness demands conflict. You’ve felt it before, twice now. I saw how quickly it started to affect you the second time. It clouds judgment, encourages war, tells you to hurt others. It leaves no room for the honest magic of a child’s belief. I fear for her and any other child I try to help.” Jack didn’t like being told the darkness changed him; he couldn’t remember it affecting him negatively in any way. He’d had every right to be pissed off at the Guardians.

“That’s why I’m here.” He stood like he was presenting himself. “I’ll help you use your powers for the children who need you. I’ll help you handle and foster their belief. And I’m going to work with the fearlings the same way. I know I can get somewhere with them.” He was sure of it. If he could convince Pitch to use his powers for good, there had to be a way to change the fearlings, too.

“Jack.” Jack didn’t really hear him, off on his own vocal train of thought now.

“Just like I knew you had a purpose, I know they have a purpose, too.”

“Jack. The only fearlings you would have had a chance with were the converted children.” Jack was thrown off by this. Would have? Why was Pitch making it sound like he didn’t have a chance now?

“What do you mean?” Jack started to realize exactly what he meant, but he didn’t want to believe it.

“Most of the fearlings that were slain were the ones that used to be children. The ancient fearlings and the ones born from darkness are stronger, and they held out longer in battle. There are… maybe ten thousand child fearlings left. Maybe.” Jack felt like his heart was made of solid ice and someone had just delivered a shattering blow. The Guardians had killed children. Did their oath mean nothing? To watch over the children of the world, guard them with their lives! For the children are all that we are, Jack thought, all that we have, and all we will ever be… Pitch snapped him from his thoughts. “Control that.” He hadn’t realized the ice magic escaping him and freezing across the room.

“I can’t…” He covered his face. He felt Pitch’s touch again, offering comfort, but right now he didn’t want to be touched. “You’re telling me that the others… only killed child fearlings… when they invaded?” Jack snarled, having difficulty breathing.

“There’s no way they could have known.” Was Pitch _defending_ the Guardians’ murder of thousands of child fearlings? Jack clawed at his forehead, feeling like he was shrinking. “By nature alone, the ancient fearlings are smarter and better fighters. They survive better.” He barely heard Pitch speaking over the boiling rage consuming him.

“But all they had to do was listen to me!” His eyes were open, but he couldn’t really see. He was looking through everything, seeing flashes of the gore. Black stains on the ground, on his fingers, on North’s blades… “I told them… I told them… what the fearlings were…,” he growled.

“Put it behind you. Your irritation with them won’t solve anything right now. You need to keep learning to control your magic.” Jack knew Pitch was saying something about how lack of control would lead him to hurt someone, like a child. He wasn’t really paying attention anymore.

“I guess I’ll go train then.” He needed to be alone with his thoughts.

“Very well. What shall we work on?”

“Alone.” He glanced back and noticed that Pitch looked a little hurt. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at them. I just need…”

“Time.” Jack felt a sliver of gratitude as Pitch excused him. “And we have plenty of time. Here.” Jack caught the music player Pitch tossed to him. “It’s charged.” Again, Jack was grateful, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy in that moment.

“Thank you.” Jack popped the earbuds in as he walked through the halls and hit shuffle, flipping through songs and waiting for the right mood to hit. He settled on Flyleaf and Green Day for the walk, and he noticed that about a dozen fearlings were following him. He opened the last door at the end of the hall and saw the blackwater pool where Pitch had tried to teach him to swim. He closed the door behind him and walked down the steps. The fearlings slipped around the darkness in the cracks to keep up with him, and a few whispered to each other about his fear. He couldn’t hear them over the headphones as they tried to mock and taunt him about the deep, dark water. They stopped chattering and whispering as he kept walking, freezing the surface of the water as he went. He cast a few blue mage lights and sent them hovering around the room, staring at the water once he stopped in the middle of the pool. He let a few tears fall as he thought about the Guardians.

The fearlings reached out unseen behind him, using Jack’s own shadow cast by the mage light to invade his thoughts. They felt his feelings- betrayal, rage, confusion, deep sadness, a drop of vengeance, the sliver of darkness that remained from the battle, and beyond all of that, they felt his power. Jack reflected on his life- his multiple lives- and the choices he’d made. He was no longer a ray of light, darting across the cosmos at top speeds. He was no longer a bodyguard forced to make decisions that were far above his rank. He wasn’t a magical boy playing tag with moonbeams across the planet. He wasn’t a human entertaining and protecting an adoptive human family. And he wasn’t really just a winter sprite anymore, either. He had all these powers inside him, all these experiences and memories and emotions… and he now remembered exactly why he had the idea of erasing it all in the first place. It was too much to think about.

“I know what I’m not,” he whispered to himself. “And I know what I don’t believe in.” He felt empty. His skin tingled with cold magic, but beneath that, he felt hollow. Like if someone knocked on his shoulder, it would echo and shatter him. He sat down on the ice, letting his legs dip into the water as he pulled the white, fluffy hood over his head. A few fearlings shuffled around under his cloak, and one crawled around into his lap. Jack smiled at it and took an earbud out. The fearlings were truly monsters- horrible, dark incarnations of fear with deformities and twitchy motions- but Jack didn’t look at them like they were monsters. He saw them as wild creatures ready to be tamed and loved. “Your breath smells awful. What have you been eating?” He chuckled, leaning back a little. The fearling just grinned long, needle-like teeth at him and twitched until it looked like its neck was broken. “That’s mildly disturbing,” he admitted with a smirk.

“Chessppperrhhissthss…” Jack turned his head suddenly, catching their whispers as they grew louder.

“What? Is that a word?”

“Issssssssmmmminnnnh…”

“Do you guys have your own language?” Jack took the music player out and set it down so he could hear better. He stood and slipped on his own ice with his wet feet. The fearlings leapt away from him as he fell into the water. They perched on his ice as he started to sink fast, watching to see how he dealt with the fear. Jack flailed, trying to grab at the surface. He could see the lights at the surface getting smaller. He was casting ice, thinking if he could grab it, he could float up with it. He hit the bottom, still panicking. The fearlings could tell, though, that Jack wasn’t really afraid of the water anymore. He was just lacking skill. They listened to his thoughts as he worried that he would drown, that Pitch would find him at the bottom, and they felt his shame and embarrassment. Two ancient fearlings nodded at each other and leapt in, shifting through the dark water to reach Jack faster. Jack tried to bounce off the bottom but only made it up halfway, and he realized the heavy diamond in his necklace was part of the reason he was sinking so fast. The fearlings grabbed his reaching hands in their mouths and swam up with their spindly limbs and long claws spread. Jack gasped as they pulled him to the surface and dragged his arms onto the ice. Another fearling was waiting at the surface, perched on the ice with Jack’s staff in its mouth like a dog. Jack clung to the ice, freezing his hands in place so he wouldn’t slip again.

“Blehhh…” The fearling dropped the staff for him, leaving some black drool on it.

“Uh… thank you,” Jack chuckled. He swung a leg over and got up onto the ice, staying on all fours. His clothes were heavy, but the diamond was even heavier somehow. He yanked it off his neck, and the cord dissolved. He sat back and gazed into the diamond as a mage light hovered over him. In the facets of the diamond, he saw a bright blue, wrinkly eye. He panicked and dropped it, and it rolled into the water. The fearling that had grabbed his staff went to fetch the diamond, but Jack snatched him out of the air. “Wait! I know that eye… That was North,” he gasped. “It wasn’t a gift. It was a tracker… He knew Nightfall was unguarded!” Jack slammed a fist on the ice, and it spread across the entire pool. He grabbed his staff and cast a harsh wind, using it to dry off as he took off to tell Pitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LE GASP~!


	44. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursdsay!

**Ch. 44- Cold**

“If we attack the fearlings and bring their numbers down, it should weaken Pitch enough for us to free Jack from his darkness,” Bunnymund said as the Guardians brainstormed their attack on Nightfall. North agreed, but Toothiana was hesitant.

“What about what Jack said about the fearlings being children? He seemed determined to protect them.” Sandman floated over, a thumb and forefinger on his chin. He projected to them.

 _“It is my experience that fearlings are born directly from darkness. They are conjured from fear, despair, misery… Pitch calls on the darkness to summon his armies, and I wouldn’t put it against him to lie about the fearlings’ origins to get Jack to defend them.”_ Despite his caricature-like appearance, Sandman was a tactical genius with millennia of conflict under his golden belt.

“That manipulative monster,” Bunnymund growled.

“So, we bring full force, take down as many fearlings as possible,” North declared. Sandman raised a finger to get their attention again.

_“First we need to ensure we can get to and from Nightfall safely. We don’t want to use the tunnels and somehow end up stuck there. Because of the cosmic span of darkness, Pitch exists in a trans-dimensional realm where the laws of physics don’t always necessarily apply.”_

“The scouts should be back soon,” Bunny nodded. “If they can get back, it’s safe.”

 _“Good. Then, next, we must also ensure Pitch is not there. He and the fearlings draw strength from each other, like a perpetual-motion machine._ ”

“How can we know that? Pitch is the most elusive being we know,” Tooth raised her concern.

“I have a way,” North said, looking a little crestfallen. “The gift I gave Jack has a spyglass spell on it.”

“The diamond?” Bunny asked.

“Da.” North pulled out a similar gem with smoother, wider facets.

“You can see Jack with that?” Tooth flew over and hovered above him. “Isn’t that a little… intrusive?”

“He has given us no choice,” North said firmly. He set it on the table. The egg scouts returned, skipping and running around each other. Bunny turned to the strange-legged minions and scooped up a couple.

“They say the tunnels are clear. We can use them to breach Nightfall,” he said. North picked up the gem and peered into it. His face creased in worry. “We must hurry.” He saw Jack casting ice into a hallway as Pitch used his darkness on a little girl in the next room. “Pitch is targeting a child, and it looks like Jack is allowing it,” he said almost breathlessly.

“What! No, our Jack would never!” Tooth gasped.

“He’s not really our Jack anymore,” Bunny said, brows creased together.

“Is true. We must get him away from Pitch. Bunny.” North looked to him. “Take us to Nightfall.”

“My pleasure.” He set the eggs down and thumped his foot, connecting the new tunnels, and leapt through. North collected the diamond and followed, tailed closely by Tooth and Sandman.

After the battle, Pitch’s portals sent the Guardians across the globe. Sandman spun out over the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the wee hours of the morning. He was disoriented and somber. It seemed like Jack had willingly borrowed Pitch’s darkness, and he had quickly started to go insane with the power. Or, perhaps, he had been wrong about the fearlings, and Jack had been justifiably angry. He rose up and started to listen for dreams to find his way back to land.

Tooth flitted from tree to tree, her wings still recovering from Jack’s frost blast. Pitch’s portal had sent her to the late morning time zone of the Amazon rainforest, halfway up the canopy. Her bright, flashy colors had quickly been spotted by a hungry panther. She distracted it with a few feathers that turned into miniature versions of herself, each only half the size of a MiniFairy. She hid while the panther chased after her copies, waiting for her wings to thaw and heal. Jack had never been so violent before… had they really pushed him so far, or was it the darkness affecting his mind?

Bunny rolled onto an icy shoreline in the Antarctic and hugged himself tight, cursing at the biting cold. He thumped his feet, unable to summon a tunnel. He realized with how close the water he was that he was standing on solid ice. He needed to find a landmass to make a tunnel. He sprinted away from the water, thumping every hundred feet or so to find land and get himself safely out of the cold.

North ended up where Bunny wished he would have landed. He stumbled into a barren portion of the Tanami desert where it was the middle of the night. The sudden intense heat, even without sunlight, bore down on him in his heavy winter clothes. He found a snow globe in his pocket and used it to try to get back to Nightfall, favoring the shoulder that had taken one of Jack’s ice arrows. The globe exploded fiercely with a blast of darkness as Pitch sealed off entry to his castle with strong magical barriers. North checked his coat, cursing to himself as he realized he was out of globes.

“Vot der’mo…” Sandman found North a while later as the oncoming dawn darkened the stars in the sky. He cast his golden cloud larger and helped North up onto it, and then took North back to Santoff Claussen. He used some sand to help North sleep through the flight, giving the man some much-needed rest after his nighttime desert hike. He used North’s globe to pinpoint the others. Tooth had made her way to a village and found some of her MiniFairies while they were collecting teeth. She spotted the Northern Lights that no one else could see, and with the help of her fairies, she cast a portal into the Workshop with North and Sandman. She went to her knees, looking just as exhausted as North.

“We need a better regrouping strategy,” she sighed, smoothing her feathers.

“I’ll say,” Bunny tuned in. He popped up out of the floor, his fur frozen white with snow and ice. He hopped over to the fireplace stiffly. North groaned as he looked around at his defeated crew.

“We will help Jack,” he promised. “We must.” Sandman looked them over and put a hand on North’s shoulder. He conjured himself a military-style cover and tightened on his forehead to signal he was taking charge. His symbols told the Guardians to rest, and then they would come up with another strategy.

“Maybe…” Tooth stood slowly. “Maybe we stop. Maybe we need let Jack go,” she said softly. “If… Pitch is what he wants… that’s his choice.”

“North said Jack was letting Pitch attack a child. If that’s the side he’s chosen, then he’s right. He’s made himself our enemy,” Bunny said, his eyes torn with betrayal. He adored Jack as much as the rest of them, and it hurt even more to think that Jack would go against his oath and break their trust like this.

“I don’t think we know the whole story,” Tooth muttered, turning away.

“Either way, Sandy is right. We need to rest,” North nodded. A yeti had noticed his wound and brought bandages for his shoulder. “Thank you.” North let him work and pulled out the diamond. Sandman looked over warily as North peered into it. He was met with a sparkling blue eye staring back at him. He saw Jack’s look of shock, and then blurs, and then darkness. His eyes grew wide, and Sandman gave him a question mark. “He knows.”

“Pitch!” Jack threw the door open, panting.

“That was fast. Why are you wet?”

“Never mind that,” he said, floating over and looking frenzied. “That diamond, Pitch! North was spying on me with it!”

“The diamond… how? Where is it?” Pitch started to get angry at the idea of North invading Jack’s privacy and trust like that.

“It’s at the bottom of the pool.”

“What were doing you at the pool?” Jack stammered and waved his hands, not wanting to focus on why he’d chosen the pool room.

“It doesn’t matter! What matters is that it wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t your fault, it was- they- they knew we weren’t in the castle! They planned it, Pitch! They attacked the fearlings on purpose!”

“Sandman…,” Pitch muttered under his breath. “Aside from you, Sandman is the only one with an intimate knowledge of my powers and how they relate to the fearlings. An invasion like that would have been his kind of plan. Or, equally the Pooka's, I suppose...” He trailed off.

“I just- I can’t believe they- ugh!” Jack cast a line of spikes at the wall, trying to control his anger again. “Some gift… oh, it’s coal, under pressure, anything dark can be beautiful,” he said in a mocking voice. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Neither of us considered it a possibility,” Pitch said, offering sympathy. “But now we know the lengths they’re willing to go to.” Jack floated down to the bed.

“You’re still wet. Get off the bed. And explain to me why you’re wet?” Pitch shooed him off the bed with a shadow.

“I wanted to freeze something. I fell in. The fearlings got me out. The diamond was weighing me down, so I snatched it off and I saw North looking into it. I dropped it, and I wasn’t about to go after it. I figure the best place for it is at the bottom of a black pool.” Jack sighed heavily. “What do we do?” He looked up at Pitch with worry and pain in his eyes. “They won’t listen. And even if they did, they wouldn’t understand…”

“Then you stop trying.” Pitch leaned down. “Little light, for as long as I’ve known you, in all your forms, you have only ever done what you thought was right. And you have never been wrong, as irritating as that might have been for me sometimes,” he smirked. “You don’t need them to understand. You just let them go. Focus on what you want for once.” Jack took Pitch’s hand between both of his own and let Twiner hang itself on the bedpost.

“I want… you. I want to get children to believe in you, like how Lilac does. I want to find a purpose for the fearlings. And I want to be with you. Uninterrupted.” Pitch led Jack to the fireplace to help him dry off more and sat on the floor with him, his legs beneath the knees curled into shadows that peeled away from the light.

“Then be with me.” Pitch tilted him into a kiss, unashamed of the warmth he felt sitting by the fire with the troubled sprite. “Be my ice queen,” he smirked. Jack dropped his eyes with a huff of a laugh, his cheeks tinting pink. He looked back up at Pitch and slowly formed himself a crown of ice. It crested down his forehead in a vee, wrapped around elegantly with fern-pattern swirls, and had sharp little spikes pointing up all around. “Perfect,” Pitch praised. Jack leaned up slowly for another kiss, speaking against Pitch’s lips.

“What goes together better… than cold… and dark?”


	45. Warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice, steamy start to your week~ Happy Monday!

**Ch. 45- Warm**

Pitch pressed Jack into the floor suddenly, deepening the kiss. Jack pulled away after a moment, not because he didn’t enjoy it, but because he was a little surprised by the sudden passion. Pitch drew back slightly.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just… I mean, I’m up for it, but… what if they try to attack again? What if this knocks me out again… and I can’t help you fight?” He worried.

“There are many things I could say here, but I think I’ll go with… are you denying my hunger?” He pressed himself against Jack and placed his forearms down on either side of Jack’s head, staring him down. He could see his own glowing eyes reflecting in Jack’s.

“Oh…,” Jack groaned with a dark grin. “That’s how you’re playing it?” He wrapped his arms around Pitch’s neck. “Well, I can’t deny your hunger. I don’t break my word.”

“That’s right, my queen.” Pitch kissed him again, shadows crawling around under Jack’s clothes and working them off slowly.

“Let’s do something a little different,” Jack whispered.

“Mm?” Pitch tilted his head. Jack rolled them over suddenly onto a portal he cast on the floor. He landed on top of Pitch on the bed and finished pulling the cloak and hoodie off. He ran his fingertips down Pitch’s shoulders and used glowing frost to clear his shadow cloak away. Pitch looked up at Jack. “This is nice.”

“I want to ride,” Jack admitted with a light blush as he ran his hand down Pitch’s chest.

“By all means,” Pitch smiled. “Would you like some help?” He lifted a hand, conjuring a few thin tendrils of shadow. Jack shook his head slightly with a shy look in his eyes.

“I want to do it.” He backed up slowly, nervous but riding his new wave of confidence and curiosity. “If you’ll allow me…” He dipped his head down, tracing cool lips down Pitch’s abdomen, then his navel, then his hips. Pitch caught on, already having risen to the occasion, and his lips parted in a lustful breath. He went up on an elbow to watch, pleasantly surprised as the seemingly innocent sprite licked up his length with a firm touch and locked eyes. He made sure to burn that image into his mind as Jack glanced back and forth, waiting for feedback.

“You can do whatever you want,” Pitch said, having to remind himself to breathe. Jack licked his lips and Pitch caught the nervousness in his eyes. “But you also don’t have to.” He leaned up and ran a hand through Jack’s hair, impossibly turned on by his partner’s sudden take-charge attitude. Jack glanced down, amazed by how aroused he felt just trying to please Pitch. He swiped his tongue across the head, watching Pitch’s face twist in reaction to the cold sensation. He felt a strange sense of pride and used it to take Pitch halfway down. Pitch shuddered and gripped the sheets so he wouldn’t grab Jack’s head and force it all the way in. Jack sucked lightly, mostly following instinct and listening to the soft sounds Pitch was starting to make. He knew this was something partners did for each other, but he wasn’t fully confident of his ability, and he certainly hadn’t expected it to turn him on as much as it was without anything touching him. “Jack…,” Pitch panted, a hand hovering over his white hair as Jack rolled his tongue around experimentally. Jack glanced up, a little embarrassed by his inexperience, and gave him a small nod.

“Mm!” Pitch wasted no time clutching his hair and pushing him down further, rolling his hips up towards Jack’s mouth. Jack figured out he had to breathe in between motions, and he fell into the pattern submissively as Pitch guided him up and down.

“Suck harder. Watch your teeth,” he muttered, twitching at the sight of Jack’s plush lips folded around the base of his shaft. Jack obeyed willingly, encouraged by Pitch’s words and moans. He tasted salt but ignored it, telling himself he’d be willing to finish what he started if it got that far. Jack felt his eyes water as Pitch pushed him down deeper, brushing the back of his throat and holding. Jack held out, flexing his throat around the length and trying to swallow. Pitch yanked him back and relaxed into the bed, panting. He rubbed Jack’s cheek and ran a thumb firmly over Jack’s reddened, swollen lips. “Get up here and let me taste you.” Jack straddled him quickly, his pants a little restricting now, and he leaned down for Pitch’s hungry, biting kiss. “Where did you learn dirty things like that?”

“I didn’t…” Jack mumbled. “I just knew about it and wanted to try…” He felt his pants disappear as Pitch faded them into shadow, and he sighed a little at the relief as he sprung free.

“Would you like me to return the favor?” Jack shook his head and sat up, brushing his hair back. Pitch admired the view as Jack’s lean body arched and stretched upright above him.

“No. I want it inside me,” he admitted with a desperate look.

“We can do that,” Pitch grinned. “Are you ready?”

“I’m probably still fine from last time,” Jack said bashfully, barely above a whisper. Pitch reached down and straightened himself then tilted his chin at Jack.

“Go on then.” Jack licked his lips again, and the look on his face nearly drove Pitch mad. He lined up, spreading himself as Pitch held it up for him, and he slowly sat back on Pitch’s length, unraveling with pleasure as it sank into his tight entrance. Pitch ran two fingers across Jack’s lips as he moaned at the intrusion, and Jack latched onto them and started sucking and moaning. Once he was flush at the bottom, Jack rolled his hips a little to feel it out. It felt different being more in control of the movements, taking what he wanted instead of being given whatever he could handle. Pitch drew his fingers away and wrapped them tightly around Jack’s length, stroking him slowly. Jack hunched in response to the numbing pleasure and unintentionally drove Pitch right into his spot, sparking a loud moan. “That sounded good,” Pitch smirked, working his member with skilled fingers. “Move,” he encouraged Jack. Jack braced himself on Pitch’s hips and lifted then dropped himself down again, gasping at the force of it. “That’s all you,” Pitch murmured. He couldn’t keep his little shadow hands off the sprite any longer, and he let them roam over Jack’s chest and thighs. Jack flinched and moaned as the shadows found and attacked sensitive spots, and he started moving more until he had built up a good rhythm.

“Pitch,” he whined, less embarrassed now and more determined to bring them both to climax. He squeezed down as he lifted off almost all the way and slammed back down, every breath a punctuated gasp or moan of bliss. Everything in him tingled and sparked with desire as he looked down at his dark partner looking back up at him. He leaned forward and placed his hands on Pitch’s chest, trying different angles as he jerked his hips up and down. After a few more minutes, Pitch grew impatient. He wanted to let Jack have this moment, but he couldn’t hold back any longer. He sat up slowly with the help of his shadows and wrapped his arms around Jack as the other knelt in his lap, still bouncing lightly.

“My turn.” Pitch grabbed onto Jack’s sides and sped up the pace, driving into Jack at full force. One hand on his back, one wrapped around his shoulder, Pitch thrusted up into Jack with hungry force and kissed him. Jack ran his hands around to the back of Pitch’s head and held on as he was used, twitching and leaking between them as they kissed. He claimed Pitch’s lips with nibbling bites, only to have his mouth claimed by the other’s wandering tongue. He sucked gently and smiled at the moan he felt between their contact. He felt everything start to go numb and rush to his core as he built up.

“Pitch,” he said, chanting the other’s name in a whisper as he got closer.

“Not yet.” Jack knew Pitch liked to have them wait it out and go together, but he wasn’t sure he could hold on this time. He gasped loudly as Pitch wrapped a tight, binding shadow around the base of his length. “I said, not yet,” Pitch repeated, grinning sharp teeth at Jack. Jack felt like he might break, grinding his hips into Pitch to try for more friction.

“Ah… no- it- … hurts… please…”

“Hold on a little longer. Trust me.” Pitch gave him a gentle kiss, distracting him as he picked up the speed driving into his tight hole. Jack rolled his neck out, not holding his voice back in the least, and Pitch took the vulnerability. He bit down on Jack’s neck and sucked on it harshly, trying to leave a nice, dark, claiming mark on his ice queen. Jack whimpered, digging his fingers into Pitch’s hair and pulling lightly. Pitch felt Jack’s signs of climax as his knees tightened around his hips and his tight hole quivered from stimulation.

“Please, please,” Jack begged. His voice both brought Pitch closer to finishing and made him never want to stop. Pitch let the shadows dissipate and laid down flat, still holding on tightly to Jack’s thighs and thrusting up deep and fast. “Together,” Jack nodded, biting into his lip so hard Pitch thought it might break.

“Look at me.” Pitch released Jack’s cock as he came, shoving the sprite down and filling him in heavy bursts. Jack nearly screamed as he came, feeling completely undone by the position and the torture of waiting. Pitch stared over the picture Jack made, ragged and filthy and panting with intense pleasure. They stayed like that for a few minutes, coming down through afterglow together in the dying light of the fireplace. Pitch eventually followed through with his routine of using the shadows to clean them off as they parted, but this time he brought Jack close next to him and pulled the blanket over them both. “You just knew about it… hm?” Pitch questioned, laying on his side with Jack facing him, wrapped in his arms. Jack dug his nose into Pitch’s chest, his face still pink with effort and lust.

“It’s not like I didn’t know what these things were…,” he muttered.

“Humour me,” Pitch started, “and my pride.” He tilted Jack’s chin up with a finger. “Was I really your first?” Jack blushed harder.

“First everything…,” he admitted in a whisper. “First crush, not that I really noticed for a while. First real kiss. And yes… first… y’know…”

“I’m honoured,” Pitch said sincerely, kissing the top of his head. “I will show you everything we could possibly do together,” he chuckled. “With your libido, it probably won’t take long to run through it all.”

 _“My_ libido?” Jack grumbled, glancing up with one eye. “You started this one.”

“Fair point. I’ll let you initiate the next one.” He ran a hand down Jack’s back, enjoying the feeling of his smooth, cold skin. Jack equally enjoyed the warmth radiating from Pitch under the blanket.

“Next one, hm…? What if I wanted that to be right now?”

“Perhaps not right this second. I need at least two minutes,” Pitch joked.

“I love you,” Jack muttered, fighting sleepiness. Though they’d already said it a couple times, it still felt different to hear it again. Pitch tightened his hold around Jack.

“I love you, too. And I’m never letting you go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mm, our main characters are happy... you all know what that means~  
> Next post on Thursday! Stay tuned.
> 
> Curious about what might happen next? Swing back to Chapter 42 and take the first letter of every line the fearlings spoke to Pitch. It contains a hint/spoiler...


	46. Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos and hits; I'm absolutely humbled and flattered by the huge response this story is getting! I love sharing my work with you all and hearing what you think, so here we go, Chapter 46!

**Ch. 46- Thing**

Jack woke first this time. He sat up slowly, hearing distant voices he assumed were from his dreams. He looked over Pitch, appreciating the rare sight of him sleeping. He remembered the first time he had spied on Pitch while he was sleeping and how Pitch had spooked him. Jack leaned close, trying to see if Pitch was faking sleep again. He poked his nose a couple times. This purely scientific method proved to Jack beyond a shadow of a doubt (hah, he laughed to himself at his own thoughts) that Pitch was actually unconscious. He saw his music player on the nightstand and swung his legs over to sit up fully so he could reach it. Jack felt strangely energized for their recent activities. He stood and looked around for his clothes. He saw his hoodie and cloak hanging on one of the bedposts, but he didn’t see his pants anywhere. Pitch had dematerialized them into shadow again, he realized. He went to the closet and pulled it open. Some fearlings scattered out like roaches. Jack just chuckled to himself. Pitch had a row of identical black cloaks and several in the back with different collars or linings of gold and silver. They looked like they hadn’t been worn in a very long time. Jack took out one of the silver-lined cloaks and pulled it on, giggling to himself at how much draped on the floor and how his arms were lost in the long sleeves. He shook his arms playfully and then took it back off and tied the cloak around himself like a toga. He popped his earbuds in and decided to walk around the castle. He was too restless to stay in bed, as much as he enjoyed being warmed by Pitch’s embrace.

Again, the fearlings tried to whisper dark temptations into his ears, but the music kept everything out. Jack unintentionally blocked out their attempted corruption with Lindsey Stirling melodies and vocals. The music started to mix with his energy, and he began skating down the hallway on a slippery, smooth sheet of ice that appeared in front of him and evaporated behind him. The fearlings shifted through shadow to keep up with him. He started to feel playful, and he leaned down and pulled one headphone out.

“Come here,” he beckoned to the fearlings. “Take me to that big room we used for chess and sword fights. I want to have some fun.” One of the fearlings jerked forward and tried to eat the loose earbud. “Hey, hey, stop it-” Jack scooped him up and rolled around the floor with the fearling, gently trying to get the piece back. “Don’t eat that, that’s gross! Drop it!” The fearling bit it free from the wire and swallowed, and the music stopped playing. “Ugh,” Jack groaned loudly. “Fine, I’ll just play it out loud.” He dropped the useless wire through a portal to the guest room and let the song fill the hallway. The fearlings flinched away at first from how loud it was, and then they slowly returned. “What, do you think it’s garbage, too?” Jack joked. “I think it’s much better than opera.” One of the fearlings just spread its mouth wide, not really sure how to react to the electronic music. “Come on. Take me to the sparring room.” Jack got back up and cast some ice so he could keep skating on his bare feet. A fidget jumped on his back, and a few fearlings led the way. “Ow, watch the eyes-” Jack tried to adjust as the sharp-clawed fidget climbed onto his head.

Jack heard unintelligible whispers as the fearlings took him down the winding halls. He tried to listen in, but he couldn’t make out words over the music. The fearlings were mostly talking to each other though, not to Jack. An ancient fearling shifted ahead of the group and growled to take charge, taking Jack deeper into the lower floors of the castle. He glanced back every now and then to make sure Jack was following. The infected star glided along behind him naively, lost in his ethereal music and casting frost along the walls as they went. When they stopped, Jack faced an ornate wooden door he hadn’t seen before.

“I don’t think this is where Pitch brought me for sparring,” Jack said, looking at the fearlings. The ancient fearling, larger and more deformed than the rest, grinned up at Jack with long, black teeth and scratched at the door. Pitch woke instantly, jolted by the spell he’d placed on the door. He felt the bed and noticed Jack was gone.

“Jack!” He gasped in a whisper. Pitch shifted through the shadows to find Jack, teleporting through darkness. He caught up quickly, following the frost on the walls in a panic. Jack looked at the fearlings, shaking his head.

“What’s in here, hm?” He crouched down, getting level with the old fearling.

_Enchanting magic boy_

_Very curious boy_

_Illuminates everything_

_Like to know what’s inside?_

Jack was fascinated that the fearling was speaking to him.

“I would like to know,” he said, mesmerized. The fearling gave a haunting, whispering laugh, clawing excitedly at the doorknob. Jack gripped it and turned it, but it was locked. “It’s probably locked for a reason… I should get Pitch. Wait here.” The ancient fearling hissed and circled him.

_Never mind him_

_Open it!_

He looked at the door again, curiosity alight in his eyes. His lip twisted as he fashioned a key out of ice.

“I don’t think it’s going to work,” he told them, pushing the key into the lock. The ancient fearling jumped up in excitement and shifted through darkness around the door.

“Jack, no!” Pitch grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back, tumbling to the floor with him. The fearlings shrieked and scattered into the shadows. He held Jack tightly, panting with effort.

“Um… hi there?”

“I’m sorry,” Pitch breathed, sitting up slowly and keeping an arm around Jack. “I couldn’t let you… how did you find this room?” He asked in disbelief. “I obscured the stairways decades ago so even I couldn’t find it.”

“Really? What do you keep in there?” Jack looked at the door, and Pitch grabbed his face.

“There are some bits of darkness even I can’t control.” He cringed at the loud, bouncy violin music. “Turn that off.” Jack frowned and muted the music. “Listen to me, Jack. You can’t just play with darkness like it’s your ice magic. You’re going to get hurt.”

“Tell me what it is. The fearlings really seemed to want whatever’s inside.”

“No,” Pitch shook his head. “I don’t even mention its name. Just, please, trust me. You want nothing to do with what’s in there. No good can come of it.”

“So, why do you have it? And why are you afraid to talk about it?” Jack stood.

“I’ve told you before, you can’t kill fear. Fear and darkness will always exist, sometimes in very concentrated forms. It cost me a lot to isolate what’s in that room. It’s part of the reason I live underground. Please, Jack. Remember when you first came here, and I asked you not to do two things?”

“You said not to try to free the fearlings and to stay away from the K wing.”

“That still applies, except what’s in there is far worse than all of the fearlings combined,” he said, gripping both of Jack’s shoulders. “I’m not even comfortable being this close to it.” He edged away. “Come.” He took Jack’s hand. “Put it out of your mind.” The ancient fearling watched from the shadows with three wide, red eyes. He could taste Pitch’s fear in the air. They had been so close to releasing it. They would have to try a different tactic. Jack held still.

“I want to trust you. But how come you won’t trust me? You don’t think I’m strong enough to face whatever’s in there?”

“Jack,” Pitch sighed in exhaustion. “You couldn’t understand.”

“You’re starting to sound like the Guardians,” he said, his lip curling. “They said things like that about you when I would bring it up at the meetings. I’d ask why we couldn’t talk to you or help you, and they’d just say things like that. That I couldn’t understand. That I should just trust them blindly.”

“Do not compare me to them,” Pitch said, glaring at Jack. “I’m trying to protect you.”

“Don’t go after Pitch yourself. We’re trying to protect you,” Jack quoted the Guardians.

“It’s evil, Jack. Nothing you can do will change that!”

“Funny. They said that about you, too,” Jack scoffed, pushing past Pitch. “I won’t touch your stupid door. But you should really consider how you speak to me.” He turned back and made the ice key disappear. “I’m not some fragile thing to be sheltered and protected.” His eyes were dark, and then they filled with sadness. “And if you love someone, you should be willing to share things with them, even if you’re afraid it’ll hurt. I know you’ve suffered and experienced horrible things. Caused horrible things. I want to help you heal, but I can’t do that if you won’t let me in.” Pitch watched Jack walk back up the stairs slowly. He had just realized Jack was wearing one of his cloaks. Once he was well out of earshot, Pitch scolded the fearlings.

“I told you never to come down here. Never!” He started sealing off the passage again, bathing it in darkness and obscuring spells. “I want to let you in, Jack… but I can’t let that thing out.”

Jack flopped onto the bed in Pitch’s room after changing back into his own clothes. Now he really wanted to cast and have fun, anything to get his mind off the room Pitch wanted to keep hidden away. He made a portal and ran off into a cold forest in Greenland, freezing everything in his path and summoning a dense blizzard that blocked out the sky for miles.

Pitch came back a bit later and noticed it was cold in his empty room. Jack had left the portal open either absentmindedly or as an invitation, and Pitch walked through. He followed the sound of frost magic and the thickest snow, pondering heavy thoughts as he wondered what to say to Jack. He had to tell the truth, but he also had to convince Jack to leave it alone and never go back. How could he make someone so hopeful and innocent agree to abandon such pure intentions?

Jack sat on the lowest branch of a pine, listening to old Linkin Park songs. The fidget that had eaten his earbuds was sitting next to him, nibbling on his arm and getting black drool all over his sleeve. Jack cast sparkling snowflakes for the fearlings prancing under his feet in the powder, smiling lightly at their amusement.

“I didn’t mean to hide things from you,” Pitch started. Jack jumped a little and turned to see Pitch rising from the shadow of the tree. Jack huffed and turned away again. “I suppose… if I’m going to call you my queen, I should keep you informed of our kingdom and its contents.” He hoped the light banter brought his playful Jack back out, and it worked. Jack swung down to face Pitch, hanging upside-down on the branch from his knees. He kept his hands in his pocket with the speaker and turned the music down.

“You mean it?”

“Yes.” Pitch ran a hand over his cheek. “My silly little winter sprite.” Jack swung a little on his knees. “You really want to know what’s in that room?”

“Yeah. You seem… scared of it. Whatever it is.”

“I need you to promise to listen to me very carefully, then. You have to believe me when I tell you it’s down there for a reason. And it’s something you cannot change. Not everything has good inside. It is evil incarnate.” Jack grabbed onto the branch and swung down. He magically stayed on top of the foot-deep soft, powder snow. The fidget jumped down to stay with him and sank all the way in, only its strange, pointy black ears visible. Jack snickered at it.

“I’m listening,” he said as he looked back up at Pitch. “I’m still hopeful… but I’m listening.” Pitch was still afraid to tell him, feeling like the knowledge would only make Jack more curious.

“Did you ever notice something seriously wrong with the world?”

“Always.” Jack leaned on his staff. “Lots of war. Hatred. The dark ages were long passed by then, but… yeah, the world wasn’t necessarily bright, either. Where are you going with this?”

“It was a slow transition for the humans, but it was sudden to those of us who’ve lived for thousands of years. Somewhere between the Industrial Revolution and the world wars, something went terribly wrong. Greed and conflict demanded resources at alarming rates with disastrous consequences.” Jack tried to follow, anticipation rising. “That thing I locked up- it’s something that cannot be controlled by anyone. I tried to help it once. It’s beyond help.”

“Pitch?” Jack peered up at him, worried.

“It’s my daughter, Jack. She fell to darkness and tried to take the world with her.”

“Your daughter… Mother Nature?” Jack said slowly.

“That’s not who she is anymore. What I keep locked at the bottom of Nightfall is a monster that would threaten the survival of the planet.” Jack looked away in shock.

“Now that you say it… before this form, I could sense her. I could feel her in the wind and the clouds, but that was a very, very long time ago, and I never met her face to face.”

“She was a force to be reckoned with even before the darkness.”

“You keep her imprisoned?” Pitch sensed the conversation turning and was very gentle in his tone and body language.

“The Earth and everyone on it would not survive if the monster had its way. Please, Jack. I beg you. Trust me on this. Leave it be.”

“I don’t agree with it.”

“I’m not asking you to. You weren’t there to see it happen.” Jack gripped his staff tightly and stared at the ground, silent for a while. His feet started to sink into the snow, and the fidget used his leg to climb out, clinging to his calf like a small child. He finally looked back up with softer eyes.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said quietly. Pitch felt a small wave of relief and swept Jack into an embrace.

“Thank you for listening.” Jack put his staff between them and tapped Pitch on the forehead.

“What-”

“Tag. You’re it.” Jack took off suddenly in a blast of snowflakes.

“Cheeky,” he muttered before chasing after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of an evil Mother Nature? What do you think is gonna happen next! Check back in on Monday, my lovely frostlings~


	47. A Trade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday in my time zone... so here's the next chapter! This one is ~kinda~ long but it's a federal holiday, so later today I'll be posting Ch. 48 for no other reason than I have the day off (and I love my readers and the chapters tie together and a lot of things happen and I really don't want to leave you hanging) soooooo yeah! Enjoy!

**Ch. 47- A Trade**

Jack gave chase into the woods, speeding far ahead of Pitch to make the game more entertaining. Pitch wanted him to forget about the door, and Jack wanted to. He wanted to find happiness with Pitch, go back to helping him with the children… but it nagged at him. Keeping his own daughter locked away underneath the castle seemed wrong. Pitch lost Jack’s trail and sent a few fearlings in different directions to find him.

“I can’t let him outpace me this easily,” he chuckled to himself. “Onyx.” He snapped and summoned his favorite Night Mare so he could try to cover more ground. “Let’s find the darkest clouds. Jack is sure to be beneath them.” Onyx knickered as Pitch mounted, and they took off into the canopy, riding across the treetops. Jack heard the hoofbeats and grinned.

“Finally catching up.” The fearlings found him first. He gestured to the fidgets in the group, holding up a finger to tell them to keep quiet and not give him away. Jack found a hole in a tree and pried the bark back to make it bigger. He slipped inside just as Pitch rode overhead and kept going. He snickered to himself and waited for a good time to sneak back out and head the other direction. Before he could leave, though, the ancient fearling formed unseen in the darkness right beside Jack. He bit down onto Jack’s shoulder, long teeth sinking deep into his cold skin. The ancient fearling covered his mouth to muffle his surprised cry, and he used his own dark magic to send Jack into a trance.

_“It’s my daughter… she fell to darkness and tried to take the world with her… a monster that would threaten the survival of the planet…”_

_“I don’t agree with it.”_ In his mind’s eye, the vision shifted through Jack’s memories instantaneously. _“… kids are asking for different kinds of toys… I hang out with them all the time. They go for superheroes and princesses with magic powers. They want to be heroes…”_ Jack heard his own voice as though it was coming from somewhere else, and then it became Pitch’s voice.

 _“Little light, for as long as I’ve known you, in all your forms, you have only ever done what you thought was right. And you have never been wrong, as irritating as that might have been for me sometimes.”_ And then it was North’s voice.

 _“This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian. It is my center. What is yours?”_ And then, Jack was in Jamie’s room. He relived the instant Jamie turned and saw him- the first time since the memory spell that a child had been able to see him. The memory spun around him in a blur of color until he was back on the frozen pond in front of North, giving his oath as a Guardian.

 _“I do,”_ he heard himself say. But then, the trance turned dark. The fearling forced Jack to remember all the times he had mentioned Pitch to the Guardians, all the times he had wanted to help and reach out, all the times they didn’t listen or believe in him. How North had locked up Pitch like a monster, how he had locked up Jack the same way.

 _“You keep her imprisoned?”_ Jack snapped out of it as the fearling released him, and he didn’t even feel the bite anymore. No time had passed, but for him, it felt like ages. The ancient fearling sat perched on Jack’s lap as he hid in the tree, staring at him expectantly with his three glowing red eyes.

“I just want to do the right thing,” Jack whispered. The ancient fearling leapt out of the tree and made a portal in the snow. He was running out of energy and running out of ideas. He needed Jack to decide faster. Jack slid out of the tree slowly, staring at the portal. “No one deserves to be trapped away in darkness,” he said quietly. “But Pitch won’t like this. He won’t agree to it.” The fearling pointed a sharp claw at Jack, hissing softly. Jack put a hand over his heart. “I have to try,” he told himself. He heard the hoofbeats again in the distance, getting closer, and he knew if Pitch found out, he’d never let it happen. “I only need enough time to talk to her. Just like I needed enough time to talk to Pitch.” He tapped his staff against the tree and made a frostling silhouette of himself then peeled the ethereal, glowing snow magic away from the bark. He made a few motions to make sure it was convincing enough. “Okay, you have to keep Pitch distracted for as long as possible. If he touches you, you’ll disappear. Understand?” Jack’s frostling gave him a thumbs-up and took off into the forest, flying with his arms spread and a wide smile on his translucent face. “Let’s hope that works,” Jack said to the fearling. He jumped through the portal, and the ancient fearling grinned as he closed it behind them both.

“Come out, come out, Jack!” Pitch called from the clouds, listening for a hint.

“I would have thought that Pitch put the barriers back to hide the room again,” Jack said quietly as he approached the familiar door. The fidgets pranced around Jack’s feet playfully, biting at each other and chanting for him to open the door. “Do you think this will work?” Jack fashioned the ice key again. The ancient fearling appeared beside him and nodded. He stood crouched on stubby, crooked legs, mouth hanging open. Shadows curled ominously around the door. “I told Pitch I wouldn’t touch the door. I’ll unlock it, but you have to open it.” The fearling nodded again, as if to say, ‘get on with it.’ A fidget climbed up Jack’s leg, then his back, perching on his shoulder. Jack hissed when its claws dipped into the bite that wasn’t healing, and the fidget leapt off and ran away.

Pitch sensed Jack’s magic and chased after the frostling. He started catching up slowly. He smirked to himself, wondering if Jack was letting him catch up to shorten the game.

Jack pushed the key into the door, surprised as it clicked solidly in the lock. He turned the key slowly. “Why would my magic unlock a door he doesn’t want me to open?” He whispered to himself as the lock slid open. He took a step back, looking at the fearlings. The ancient one watched as the ornate door handle started to turn on its own, and he scampered off suddenly, followed closely by the other fearlings. Jack was left alone as the door swung open to reveal a dark abyss just past the threshold. Jack’s heart raced suddenly with a feeling he didn’t fully understand. He started to back away, gripping Twiner tightly and readying himself for a fight. “I talked down the serpent. I convinced Pitch to change for the better. I can convince you, too,” he said mostly to reassure himself. He waited for the monster to breach the doorway and suddenly felt a hard shove to his back. Jack went tumbling into the abyss, and the ancient fearling slammed the door behind him. Jack fell long enough for the initial panic to fade. He breathed hard, his heart pounding in his chest as wind whipped past his face and ruffled his clothes. He tried to adjust himself in mid-air, preparing for his landing, but he wasn’t ready in time. He crashed into the ground hard, rolling onto his wounded shoulder and tumbling over a few times. Jack cried out and rolled up tightly, holding Twiner over his chest in defense. He blinked his eyes hard, trying to adjust to the total darkness. He kept one hand tight on his staff and felt out the ground as he went up to his feet.

A sharp breeze blew beside his head, and he flinched away, firing frost off into the void. He tried to cast a mage light, but it disappeared as fast as he could summon it. A hand grabbed his injured shoulder, fingertips digging into the wound, and Jack froze in place, paralyzed. He felt another presence in his mind like when Sandman projected his thoughts. Then, it was gone. Jack scrambled away, scanning in a slow circle with the staff at the ready. “Come out and face me! Show yourself!” Jack demanded. His memories had provided all the information the monster needed.

“Very well,” a voice said softly. A warm glow emanated in front of Jack. It looked like a sample of sunlight from dusk, swirling and mesmerizing. Jack took a step back as the light illuminated a face. He was fully disarmed by the beauty of the creature revealing herself. Emily Jane Pitchiner stood taller than Jack, probably up to Pitch’s chin, and she was, as Jack had always heard, the most beautiful and enchanting creature in the universe. She had Pitch’s ebony hair in long, sleek waves, and his elongated, regal face with high cheekbones. She wore deep emerald green, a contrast to her flawless, light olive skin. Her eyes were light green and cold as she looked down at Jack. “Were you expecting a monster?” She asked, her voice quiet, hypnotizing, and dignified, just like Pitch. Jack was in shock, and he suddenly felt compelled to bow. He questioned the action even as he went down to a knee and dipped his head. The words that left his mouth were out of his control.

“My lady.”

“It is your nature to bow to true royalty. Proof that Nightlight still lives on in your heart.” She bowed her head in response to release him, and Jack was able to rise again. He felt uncomfortable and unprepared. Emily smiled at him. “Your thoughts are so loud. And so many questions. One at a time, Jack. I haven’t spoken to another in ages.” She gave a pause, her eyes intrusive as Jack tried to block her out of his mind. “I’m down here because my father felt it was necessary to control me,” she said, picking a question from his thoughts. She waited for another. “Would I have destroyed the planet? No, of course not. I love Earth. But I would have destroyed all things I deemed unnecessary. I’m sure you understand. You’re quite a force of nature yourself.”

“Stop reading my mind! I want to speak to you normally,” Jack said, trying to manage a glare as he stared back at the fairest face in existence.

“Then quiet your mind,” she said with a smug smile. Jack could tell which features were her mother’s- her sharp, vivid eyes and her thin, dainty lips that hinted towards mischievous. “I mean you no harm. You have no reason to be afraid,” she started, but she paused again and tilted her head. “But I don’t sense fear from you. You’re worried about what everyone will think.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut, again trying and failing to block her out. “Sorry. You asked me not to ready your thoughts.” Jack was restless as he tried to control his emotions and thoughts, rocking back and forth on his feet.

“I came to help you,” he finally said. She covered her mouth with a polite hand to stifle a laugh.

“So valiant and pure-hearted. How did you plan to help me?” Jack was silent. “Did you really come here with no plan?”

“No! …maybe…”

“Cute,” she giggled.

“You’re… not what I expected…”

“No, because he told you I was a monster. What a kind and loving father I have.” Jack gripped Twiner again as she drew closer and circled him. He sensed immense energy and power in her wake, and it sent a violent tremble across his body. He realized in that instance he was facing something more powerful than himself, something that, if it wanted, could end his existence with hardly any effort expended. “Now I sense fear,” she grinned, her eyes turning black as she faced him again. She grabbed his face between her hands and entered his mind again, drawing on more recent memories. “Oh… look what you’ve done for my father… you’ve shown him how to love again. You truly are a Guardian, Jack. I know how you can help me.”

“Anything,” Jack said breathlessly as he stared back at her, powerless against her beauty and heavy aura of endless darkness.

“You’ve seen what the darkness has done to us. It tricked him, long ago, into thinking I was held prisoner, and it corrupted and possessed his golden heart. I tried to face the darkness myself and free him from it, but I, too, was ensnared. We’re both trapped, Jack. Look at me.” She backed away, and part of her dress dissolved to show that her body from the collar down was trapped in tar-like shadows, like a lethal bodysuit. “But you… you’re so powerful. You have the light of a star inside you and the oath of a Guardian to guide you. You bring fun and laugh in the face of danger,” she smiled. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning closer. “You have such strong command of light and energy and magic. And you’re attractive, too,” she said, stroking a fingertip down his nose. Jack felt heat rising in his face and suddenly ducked out of her arms, feeling awkward. He drew away quickly with long strides, confused and fighting powerful waves of fear. He felt the strength of the void all around him, knowing if he strayed too far from her light, he’d easily be lost. Emily worked to contain a sudden, seething rage at being rejected by the sprite. She thought for sure between her likeness to her father and her sheer power that Jack would willingly wrap himself around her finger. She took a breath to steel herself and keep her dignity as she turned to face him again. “Forgive me. I’ve been alone a long time down here. Not even the fearlings visit me. But… you know what it’s like to be alone in the darkness for years, don’t you?” Jack faced her, his age and experience showing in his deep, sad eyes.

“I had to… I never wanted to hurt him, but I couldn’t let him hurt anyone else, either.”

“Because you’re the hero, Jack. You’ve had to make those difficult decisions. But you see what the darkness has done to my father, what it’s done to me.” She shrank down in front of him as she approached again, making herself look younger until she stood shoulder height to him with the appearance of a child. “You know how to handle the darkness. You have the power inside you to fight it, to make use of it for something better. You can save us, Jack. Be our Nightlight,” she smiled gently up at him and took his hand.

“Tell me how,” Jack said, nodding. “I want to help you. I want to help Pitch.”

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“I… I think I always have,” he admitted. “It’s why I could never kill him.”

“When I came to try to fight the darkness for him, I took this back from my father.” She leaned forward and removed a locket from her neck. “I had given it to him long ago and made him promise on his soul to come back to me. I never realized how much help he would need keeping that promise. Now, I use it to keep the darkness from destroying me. But… if you have it… you can control it. You can free us both from the darkness by accepting it yourself.”

“Like… a trade?” Jack said, staring at the locket she offered in her palms.

“Sort of. Except where we failed, you’ll succeed. We were both tricked and overpowered, but you… you’re ready. You’re strong. Strong enough to save us.”

Pitch had nearly caught up to the frostling when it ducked behind a tree. He decided to let Jack think he had evaded capture and dropped into the shadows to sneak up on him. Onyx waited a few yards back, chuffing and scratching the snow with a hoof. Pitch slid into the shadows around the tree roots, hiding as the frostling peered out to try to locate him. Pitch noticed something looked different about him but thought perhaps it was the light. He shifted around the tree behind the frostling and wrapped his arms around him.

“Got you!” The frostling gasped and disappeared in a puff of glowing blue frost. Pitch flinched back, wondering what kind of trick Jack was playing. “Very clever… where have you gone, Jack?” The sky above him was clearing, though, which he found strange. “Jack? Jack!” He called out into the woods, starting to worry. He shifted over and leapt onto Onyx again, nudging her into a sprint and taking her to the sky.

Jack reached out slowly and lifted the locket from her hand.

“What do I need to do?”

“When you open it, the darkness will come after you. If you accept the darkness into your soul freely, it will release my father and myself,” she explained. In her mind, she was desperately hoping her own words were true.

“What if… I’m not strong enough?” He said quietly, fearful eyes meeting hers.

“You will be. You have to be. I believe in you, Jack. We all do. Why do you think the fearlings led you here?”

Pitch landed again, trying to track Jack through the snow. He was past believing Jack was giving his honest effort to the game, and he tried to ignore the nagging thought that he would have returned to the room to try to face his daughter. He couldn’t let that be true. He summoned a dozen more fearlings and sent them in search of Jack, but he held one back and took a knee, staring it down hard.

“Where is Jack Frost? I know you know.” The old fearling hissed at him, backing away, and then laughed as it disappeared. Pitch’s heart sank. “He wouldn’t. He can’t…” He started pulling the fearlings back, anger growing as he feared the worst. Pitch started to make a portal back to Nightfall.

Jack took a deep breath and opened the locket. Inside was a picture of Emily, much younger, smiling up at him. Emily backed away. Jack looked at her and pressed the locket over his heart.

“I accept the darkness to free Emily and Kozmotis Pitchiner.” He started to think he had done something wrong when nothing happened until a massive spike of shadow impaled him from behind. It withdrew, leaving a gaping hole with his heart dangling in the middle suspended by several strands of bluish light. Emily looked on in wonder, witnessing firsthand the power of a Nightlight against the void. But the sliver of darkness already in his heart invited in the rest, and Jack found himself paralyzed once more as it bloomed and grew like a strangling vine. His body and clothes returned as though he hadn’t been injured, and the shadows started latching onto him. Jack’s eyes went wide as he heard voices loud and harsh in his mind, laughing and snickering and taunting and mocking and degrading. He refused to fight any of it as he saw the darkness leaving Emily.

Pitch couldn’t finish his spell. His control of shadows and the dark dimension wasn’t responding. He arched suddenly, darkness pulling away from his body thick enough to suffocate him. Emily raised the ground beneath herself and Jack, bringing them back to the door, and she opened it and stepped out, leaving Jack to take the darkness for them. She grew back to her normal size and climbed up the steps of Nightfall gradually, shedding darkness as she murmured a song she had heard in Jack’s memories. “I’ve tried to take you lying down, I clarified, tip-toed around, was innocent, clear and defined, but you cross them every time… don’t make me be the bad guy.” Jack rolled to his side and curled up, shaking violently as the fearlings flooded into the room through the door she’d left open. They scratched and clawed and laughed and phased through him and jumped on him and suffocated him in sheer numbers, but he didn’t protest. Everything in him screamed to fight back, but he held still. The ancient fearling stood over him, and the others spread out to give him room. He grinned at Jack. He had said this to Kozmotis when he came looking for his daughter. He had made Pitch say it to the Guardians when they were one child away from claiming the world in darkness. And now he would say it to Jack:

_You’ll protect them… but who will protect you?_

Emily felt her power and energy returning as she transcended the castle.

“Paradise lost, you’re fallen from grace-” she ran her hand along the wall, growing a small vine to test her powers as she hummed the song. “Never was built to be this way but turns out the villain is fun to play!” She made it to the main hall and slammed a foot down, growing a tree in the center of Nightfall to lift her from the ground. “Spoiler alert… the ending ain’t happy. Eggshells crack beneath your feet, the ugly truth is bittersweet!” She ran her hands along the branches, growing thick, ruby pomegranates. “Don’t make me be the bad guy!” She sensed out the Earth above her when she was close enough to the ceiling of the castle and cast herself a portal to her father. She stepped out into the snow. “Despite all of my foresight… I keep hoping I’ll be right about you!” She threw her arms out, blasting all the snow away and bringing in a warm breeze. Kozmotis lay on the ground, panting with effort as the darkness faded from his body. He looked through Emily, the pain of the transition blinding him temporarily. “No longer a pretty view ahead… Our lies did not become us.” She knelt by his head and lifted it into her lap to comfort him. “You became them instead…” She stroked her gentle fingers through his hair, her hands warm. She took a breath, spreading her love to Kozmotis to help him recover faster. Lavender started to grow around them as she kept humming and singing softly. “No, don’t make me be the bad guy…”

Jack lay petrified on the floor, staring at the cracked door and clutching his staff. The locket had dissolved with the force of darkness that had been released from it. A tear fell from his eye so slowly it froze to his cheek. He begged to know if he had done the right thing as he finally found reprieve and passed out.

He saw sunlight and didn’t flinch away. He saw dark, dark brown hair blowing in an unseasonably warm breeze. He felt thin, gentle fingers in his hair and soft thighs beneath his head. He smelled lavender wafting around, and he saw a brilliant, glowing, golden mare standing over him, her mane flowing in the wind. Everything seemed to glisten with joy and warmth. He looked up at moist, green eyes and reached up to touch the face they belonged to.

“This is my favorite dream,” he said, hearing his own voice as though it were distant.

“It is a dream no longer,” Emily whispered, holding his hand to her cheek and crying small tears of joy. “I finally have you back…” She leaned over him and cried on his chest, clutching his thick robes. Kozmotis sat up slowly and embraced her back, his mind clearing like fog from a sunbathed hill. The dream never lasted this long. Daylight became too sharp. The scent of lavender was heavy around them.

“Emily Jane…,” he muttered, realizing he was awake as her hair tangled in his fingers.

“Daddy,” she sniffled, smiling up at him. She saw deep concern in his eyes and readied herself for the questions he was about to ask. He looked at his own skin and released her, running hands down his sleeves and royal robes. He reached out to the mare.

“Lumaera?” He beckoned, and she stepped closer to press her nose into his palm. “What happened?” He asked Emily.

“I made the darkness go away,” she said quietly. “I helped you keep your promise.” She took his hand between both of hers. “They’re gone. The fearlings can’t hurt us now.” Kozmotis yanked his hand back, drawing it into a tight fist.

“What have you done?” His voice was deeper and louder now. “Where is Jack Frost?” She met his glare with her own.

“Can I not have one moment with you? Just us? Why must you always do this? You’re always choosing someone else!” Kozmotis pressed a hand to his forehead, realizing how quiet his mind was for the first time in millennia. No voices to block out. No whispers to hide from. No fear to fight.

“I will have a moment with you. And more. But tell me what of Jack Frost, Emily. Tell me where he is.” Her lips went thin, and the flowers around them started to wither.

“First you chose work over family. I had to watch mother die while I ran away. Then when you tried to choose me, too late, I had to watch you fall to the darkness. And you tried to replace me with that little story-telling girl!” Thorny brambles sprang from the ground in thick, angry ropes around them both. “And now, you’ve replaced both me and mother with this foolish little frost sprite! Why can’t you be happy with your own family! After everything we went through for you!”

“Please, Emily, I never meant for any of that.”

“No! If you will not accept me as the only family you have left, I will not allow you to call me that anymore. I will not call myself your daughter any longer. This was your last chance. All you had to do was forget about him!” She backed away, and he stood to follow her, conflicted between wanting to calm her and wanting to strike her down for not telling him where Jack was. “Tell me right now that you love me more than him. Me! Your flesh and blood!” Kozmotis stood his ground.

“I did not raise my daughter to hurt people or demand ultimatums. I raised a kind and loving girl, a powerful spirit who wanted nothing but to protect the good in the world. Jack Frost is good in this world. Now you tell me, Emily… what have you done with him?”

“My name is Rhea. And the Jack Frost you knew is dead. If you will not love me, you will have no one to love,” she hissed. The ground shook beneath them, but not from Mother Nature’s wrath. Kozmotis, freshly returned to his full power, had no control over his heartbreak at the prospect of Jack’s death. The very atoms in the air threatened to split around him with the force of his cosmic control. She felt the air trembling and silently cursed her own love of the planet. “I left him in Nightfall,” she spat, if only to reprieve his pain enough to spare mass destruction. She turned her back on him and walked away through a glowing portal. Kozmotis swept his arm back and cast his own portal, a literal tear in space, calling on Jack’s energy to locate him. He saw Jack laying on the floor, seemingly dead, and stepped through. Lumaera followed him, and then the portal closed before it could tear any further. Kozmotis knelt over the sprite. His breath and hands shook as he reached out for Jack, placing a warm palm on his cold cheek. He saw fearlings creeping and scurrying around behind Jack, playing with the shadow cast by Kozmotis’ golden aura. He cast a wave of pure energy at them, sending them scattering far back into the abyss. He drew his fingers down and felt the slightest pulse at Jack’s neck, and then he swiftly lifted the sprite into his arms. The ground reformed as he walked through the dark castle. Stairs appeared where his feet landed, and he carried Jack to his bedroom slowly. He placed Jack on the bed carefully and sat by his side, trying to use his own energy to revive him.

“I’m not mad at you… please, come back to me, my queen…” He wondered briefly if Jack’s fairytale magic still worked. Kozmotis leaned down and kissed Jack gently, pouring his love and energy into the body beneath him. Jack took a deep, shaky breath, and Kozmotis sat up.

He saw the golden light and flinched away. He saw bright, gold eyes staring at him with unfamiliar warmth. He felt the phantom sensation of lips against his and the soft pillows beneath his head. He smelled the embers of a fire lingering the room, and he saw a brilliant, golden general sitting on the bed beside him. Everything was too bright, too loud, tainted by fear and paranoia. He looked up at moist, gold eyes and reached up to touch the face they belonged to.

“Is this a nightmare?” He asked, hearing his own voice as though it were distant.

“It might be my nightmare,” Kozmotis said, holding Jack’s cold hand against his face. “But it’s not my worst nightmare. I’m just happy you’re alive…”

“You… look so…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence. “I remember when you looked like this.” He gave half a smile, still exhausted and adjusting to the heavy, suffocating feeling of darkness. “It worked… Pitch, I-… well, I guess that’s not really… your name anymore, is it?”

“You call me whatever you want,” he said, relieved to hear Jack’s voice.

“I’m so sorry. I had to go to her. I had to try. The fearlings wanted me to. But- but it worked. I’m fine,” he said, trying to show him by sitting up more.

“Slowly, slowly,” Kozmotis urged. “You look different, too… but not as different as I did.” He reached out towards the dresser on the other side of the room and a mirror floated over into his hand. “Here.” Jack took it and nearly dropped it when he saw himself. The whites of his eyes had gone completely black, and his irises were so pale blue they almost looked white, like the tops of glaciers. He still felt a stinging in his shoulder and pulled his hoodie down around the bite. It was now a black scar against his white skin. He looked even paler than before- a porcelain sculpture with subtle marbled cracks. “I understand your desire to help,” Kozmotis said. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from this… but, I am grateful. Never think I’m not grateful. I hate that the darkness has you right now, but we’ll fix it. For now, I’m grateful. I have my powers back. My mind is quiet and focused. I can _feel_ again. And you’re alive. She made me think for a moment that you weren’t, and for that moment this whole planet was in danger,” he whispered the last part. Jack gave him a shy smile.

“What happened to Emily?”

“She’s upset. She hoped I would forget about you and be with her only. She took the name Rhea, told me she left you in Nightfall, and then turned her back on me… I have disappointed her so many times… but I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you. Especially not after what you’ve done for me.” He ran a hand over Jack’s cheek again and leaned in for another kiss, enjoying how much colder he felt now that he had his own warmth back.

“You’re so much warmer…” Jack curled towards him. He ran a hand down Kozmotis’ collar to spread his robe and then slid inside, pressing himself into his chest. Kozmotis smiled and held him close, eyeing the shadows. He worried about what would happen next. Had Jack truly conquered the darkness? Or had it conquered him? What would become of the power of shadows and the dark dimension? What would become of the boogeyman? Had Jack absorbed the title along with the darkness? If so, they certainly needed to work on developing the good which could come from the dark powers, otherwise Jack would fall to the hunger for nightmares and misery. But all of those concerns were for later, he decided. Right now, he had his lover in his arms, and he had a heart that was fully capable of feeling love again. He wouldn’t let Jack drown in the darkness. After all, the sprite was afraid of drowning.

Rhea traveled over the surface of the ocean on steps of seafoam that appeared as she walked. She cleared the surf and walked out onto the rocky shore of the island, sensing the busy burrows beneath her. If Kozmotis wouldn’t choose her, she wouldn’t let him have anyone. She would tell the Guardians how Pitch fed Jack to the darkness, and how they both must fall to protect the children of Earth. Based on Jack’s memories, she thought as she made her own tunnel into the Warren, they had no reason not to believe her. Best of all, tonight felt like a full moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... uh... yeah. Thoughts? Theories?? Comments??? Questions???? Concerns??????? >u<   
> I read them all, my lovely frostlings~   
> Ch. 48 coming at you later today!  
> Thank you, truly, for reading and hitting that \kudos/ button!
> 
> Oh, also, here's a lyric video for the song Mother Nature pulled from Jack's memory and sang as she rose back to her own powers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RESyA4NXB8   
> "Don't Make Me" by Malinda
> 
> Also-also, I don't have a good canon source for what Kozmotis Pitchiner looks like, so you'll just have to either imagine it or Google his name and pick your favorite art (or read the fifth Guardians of Childhood book and find the illustration lol).


	48. Black Death

**Ch. 48- Black Death**

Another mine collapse. Several dozen men and boys were trapped under rock and soot, either killed from the impact or suffocating slowly. Pitch Black shifted through the shadows of the filled tunnels, drawing on misery and looking for recruits in the rubble. Fearlings sniffed and scratched around the rocks and broken support beams. Pitch found a space just open enough to stand in and took full form. He lifted a dead canary from the ground, a common sight this far underground. He heard a shuddering breath and slid through the darkness to find the source. A young boy, perhaps twelve, was still alive somehow. He wouldn’t last much longer. The rockslide had crushed his lower half, and his head was split open on a sharp mining tool. Pitch whispered through shadows, asking the boy to join him. To accept darkness and leave the pain behind. To be part of his fearling family. The boy asked him if he was the devil. He responded honestly, telling the boy he was the boogeyman. The Nightmare King. He told the boy if he accepted, though, his own nightmare would be over. He’d never have to worry about going hungry or dying amidst rocks and noxious fumes. The boy accepted, and the fearlings swarmed him, filling his heart with darkness and freeing him from the rocks.

Pitch exited the mine shaft with a few more followers and was surprised to see a beautiful, familiar face outside waiting for him. She glanced at the new fearlings, met Pitch’s gaze, and then turned and walked into the woods. He followed, shocked and tentatively pleased by her presence.

“I come with a proposition,” she said as she walked through the daylit wood. Wildflowers and mushrooms bloomed from each footprint, and a gentle breeze brought a light scent of honey. “I have use for your powers.” Pitch realized she had come strictly on business and pushed his feelings deep down, as though they never existed.

“Is that so?” He followed behind her and cast a shade over himself as the trees thinned out and let more daylight through.

“Mankind has forsaken their path and love of nature. I see it in angry steam engines and thick, sulfurous clouds from chimneys. They have traded longevity for short term luxury, gorging their greed as fast as they can. I have seen where this path will take them…,” she explained slowly. “I feel the Earth’s pain as she struggles to provide all her children ask for.”

“Quite the burden to bear,” Pitch commented, remaining neutral. “I know the machines and actions of which you speak.”

“I can only do so much to help the Earth. My efforts increase, but I see less benefit from them each day.”

“What could you possibly need from me, then?” He dared to ask. Even he knew better than to tempt her rage, and the slightest misplaced word or phrase or tone could be catastrophic. She stopped and turned to face him, looking like an oil painting as she stood in the light of the forest clearing. Her hair was full of flowers and pollinating insects, and tree branches grew off the sleeves of her dress to provide perches to small birds.

“I require your command of the dark forces.” Mother Nature took a step towards Pitch and held out a hand. A garden spider crawled around her fingers and then slid down on a single strand of silk. “I have a solution, but it’s not strong enough with my power alone. I have the web and the fangs, and the power to take the bite. I need the venom.” Pitch was starting to catch on.

“You’re speaking of a cleansing.”

“I mean to create a powerful virus, spread it to as many as possible, and have it kill its host. I will spare most of the young, and I will leave enough adults to raise them properly on a healthy planet. Any virus I create, though, is akin to a living thing. It will make its own decisions and mutate on its own. If it were mixed with darkness, though, it could be fully controlled. It could infect and kill on command, and it could be killed so it never has to happen again.”

“Another Black Death,” Pitch frowned.

“Except we’ll control this one. Instead of the humans’ disgusting habits bringing about their own demise, we’ll change their behavior for them and solidify their survival as a species.” She drew the spider back into her hand and placed it in her hair.

“Why now?”

“I told you, I have seen the future this path leads them on. I had a vision. A world full of noxious air and poisoned resources slowly choking out every living thing, including the humans themselves.”

“It sounds more like you a had a nightmare,” Pitch said. “I don’t do death, darling. I do fear.”

“You do what you must to survive, and to protect the people you care about,” she said firmly, “as you always have. If you want nightmares to feed on, if you want darkness to spread, this is the fastest way. I didn’t have to come to you and offer alliance.”

“Don’t think I’m not grateful. I’m flattered, even. But using darkness for these purposes… forgive my wording, seems, unnatural. Unfair. They won’t have a chance to evolve or adapt to it. Isn’t that what you’re all about?”

“Not anymore. Not after seeing how reckless and careless they can be. My plan is to create this virus, release it in the most highly populated cities around the world, and have you control its spread and death toll. Imagine the nightmares and suffering you could devour as the fear spreads with it. You win, I win, and the humans win.”

“You mean the ones who don’t die,” Pitch said. He was surprised and disappointed by her plan. This didn’t seem like the compassionate, gentle, pure little girl he had once known. This was a powerful woman, scorned and enraged by her own dear children of the planet.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“I think not,” Pitch said, withdrawing from the clearing. “I won’t be part of another death toll. It was different when it came about by purely natural means,” he added, speaking of the bubonic plague. She was speechless for a moment.

“I never thought you would turn this down.”

“Then you don’t know me.” Pitch turned his back on her and left, tailed by the new fearlings.

“If you won’t give me the darkness, I’ll take it for myself,” she declared, stopping him in his tracks.

“You couldn’t handle it if you tried,” he said as warning, but she took it as a challenge.

“Only the great General Pitchiner can handle all the darkness of the universe, is that it?”

“That’s not what I-” He turned back to look at her and was struck across the face with a thick tree branch that swept down from beside him. He refused to retaliate, simply rubbing his face and straightening himself with an irritated but dignified look. “He could not. Or I would not stand before you like this, tainted with darkness, possessed by voices that command compliance and conflict.”

“I will succeed, then, where you failed.” Pitch heard another tree branch swinging through the air, wood creaking, and he disappeared with the fearlings. He retreated into Nightfall, concerned for her and about her diabolical plan. His efforts to keep the darkness contained were futile, though. That night, he tried to lock all the fearlings inside Nightfall, closing off every entrance to the surface, but a few older fearlings had evaded him. They had heard about Mother Nature’s plan, and they had passed her fear on to the void who hungered for the suffering and conflict she promised.

As she searched for a way to breach his castle that night, the old fearlings took Pitch’s form and decided to help her without his command. They approached her in the cover of night in the woods by the mine. She saw their silhouette and fell for it easily. “Have you reconsidered, then?” The fearlings nodded and held out a long-fingered hand swirling with darkness. “I will make sure you are kept informed and well-fed. This virus is only a temporary evil for a long-term peace,” she reasoned, reaching out for the offered hand. As she took it, their power started to invade her through her exposed elements. Darkness shot across her tree branches. Moths and butterflies and birds took off, chased away by creeping strands of black shadow. She tried to yank her hand away. “Stop, that hurts!” The fearlings yanked her back, Pitch’s silhouette full of bright red eyes and one large, fanged grin. Darkness consumed her quickly, latching onto her body and sapping away at her anger and fear. Voices filled her mind and encouraged her dark thoughts. Pitch felt the disturbance and saw his fearlings scattering in response.

“What…?” He followed them to back to the surface, too late to help Emily as she fell into a wide pit, the void opening beneath her. Pitch lunged after her but was cut off when the hole closed. “No!” To keep him from interfering, the old fearlings swarmed Pitch, possessing him and forcing him to relive his downfall. His memories resurfaced as he followed young Emily’s voice into the fearlings’ prison and fell for their trickery. Moonlight poured over the clearing, unseen by Pitch under the fearling swarm keeping him restrained in fear and remorse.

Mother Nature felt the raw power of the void invade her very being, and when she was able to rise again, she stood near the collapsed mine. Thin cloud cover kept her obscured from the moonlight. She felt low vibrations in her limbs like whales calling in the deep ocean, and she felt a strong, painful hunger. She leaned against a tree for support, and it died at her touch. The bark crumpled and flaked away until the entire tree was reduced to sickly gray ash. She stepped away from it, looking at her own blackened hands. Her entire body was an inky silhouette, dimension hardly visible as she absorbed all light like a black hole. She knelt and ran a hand over the ground slowly. Grass and flowers withered instantly, death following her touch. Her green eyes glowed as small circles in the darkness, and their crease in shape was the only evidence of her smile. The void demanded energy, demanded feeding, and she was all too willing to put her plan into action.

She glided with long, smooth steps towards the village by the mine, leaving a trail of dry, cracked, lifeless soil behind her. She opened the door to the first house she came across. A woman and a man sat by a small fireplace, huddled together. The little cabin smelled of gamy stew, coal, and iron. The woman saw her first and screamed at the embodiment of shadow standing in their doorway, calling her a demon. The man grabbed the hot fire poker and came at her violently. Mother Nature dodged and grabbed him by the back of the neck. She forced him down to his knees in front of the fire and absorbed his fear as her own natural power removed his life force. The void was far from satisfied. It seemed, she thought, that tasting one man’s fear had only made it more demanding. The woman was sobbing, crouching under her dining table with a knife held out by a shaking hand. Mother Nature collected the ash of the dead man and swirled it between her hands, mixing it with her elemental power and her new dark magic. She slid through shadow on the floor like a snake and rose up in front of the woman under the table, her silhouette visible from the waist up with firelight dancing behind her. She held the man’s ashes up and cast her viral spell by blowing it gently into the woman’s face. The woman charged at her, blinded by rage at how she had treated the man’s dead body, but she went straight through the silhouette and landed on the floor. Mother Nature snuffed the fire and all other light in the home, leaving them in darkness but for a few stray rays of moonlight peeking in the window. She left the woman with a warning- if she tried to tell anyone how the man died, those who heard it would not believe her, and they would die a slow and painful death.

Mother Nature disappeared, slipping up through the dark chimney. She sent her new virus into the smoke rising out of the chimneys of nearby homes, raising it to the clouds. She glared at the increasingly bright moonlight and drew in more cloud cover. The viral ash mixed with the clouds, and it started to rain across the village and the surrounding area, infected water dropping into collection buckets, harvests, and wells. The hungering void was satisfied as its darkness spread, and her sharp-toothed grin was wide, jagged, and unnatural as she looked out at her work.

Drained of effort from her quick use of so much dark magic, the fearlings slipped away from Pitch. They could no longer hold him down, but they had held him long enough to let the virus start to spread. Mother Nature and Pitch Black could sense each other through their connection to the darkness, and the former gave chase. For weeks, Pitch chased her across the world. From crowded slums to muddy trenches, Mother Nature planted seeds of her virus in various forms that the humans recognized as older diseases. The real danger was that her virus was not one single creature, but a mimic of many. It reared its fangs as typhoid, malaria, dysentery, and countless other diseases that killed too fast to be diagnosed. Pitch never gave up in his attempts to hunt her down, but he failed every time he got close because he didn’t know what to do if he caught her. He couldn’t kill his daughter. He couldn’t stop her.

The Man in the Moon caught him before he could catch his daughter. He broke a long silence, knowing Pitch had a better chance of stopping her than any of the Guardians and that while the Guardians would stop her if he asked, she wasn’t harming children specifically. The Guardians were put in place to protect children, and Mother Nature had not crossed that line, as promised. She infected strictly adults, and her virus died if transferred to a child.

 _“What will you do when you catch her?”_ He asked Pitch loud and clear. He’d gotten his attention by rising over a snowy forest clearing, his moonlight illuminating so powerfully it almost looked like day. Pitch froze. The Man in the Moon hadn’t spoken to him in… he couldn’t even remember since when. He looked up at the moon with a hand over his eyes, weakened by the light.

“I cannot stop her,” he admitted. “I want to, but she will not listen. And I will not kill,” he said firmly.

 _“If I give you a solution that prevents any further death, including hers, will you accept my help?”_ Pitch narrowed his eyes, unsure of making a deal with someone who normally opposed him so strongly.

“This changes nothing. I will not alter my ways nor will I stop trying to return the world to darkness.”

_“A truce, for now. Accept my help, stop her from killing off mankind, seal her away in the void, and I will let you return to hiding. I will not inform the Guardians of your involvement or your position once she is imprisoned.”_

“You want me to imprison her? Within the void?” Pitch felt his heart sinking. To sentence her to that kind of isolation was almost as terrible as killing her.

 _“If you do not stop her, I cannot keep the Guardians from going after her, and they will battle her to the death for their oath to protect mankind. You can stop further bloodshed. Yes, I am asking you to imprison her.”_ Pitch’s eyes fell, and he stared at the ground. He’d known from the start that it would end one of two ways- this, imprisonment, or her death. The Man in the Moon sensed Pitch’s deep concern and lingering emotions for his daughter, despite the strong possession of darkness. _“Do not worry so much, old friend. I have seen one of Light survive isolation in the void and come out stronger and brighter than ever before. Emily Jane comes from strong lineage and will survive. But she must also answer for her actions.”_ A biting, frosty breeze blew through the clearing and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“It’s my fault for raising her so leniently,” Pitch smirked. “Yes, MiM, I’ll give her a proper grounding and a hearty lecture,” he jokingly laughed, because if he thought too much harder on this, he might be too emotionally weak to follow through. “What help will you offer me?”

 _“She is still close by, infecting water sources near the battle trenches. I will help you lead her here with an illusion, and I will use my light to cut her off from the darkness for as long as I can. In that time, do whatever you can to seal her and her dark magic away.”_ Pitch nodded his agreement and climbed shadows to the tops of the trees to find her. She was close, as MiM had said, and MiM started a powerful illusion that even fooled Pitch for a few seconds. The forest was suddenly on fire, animals scattering in every direction. Pitch leapt from the trees and fell through shadows to get away as fast as he could before realizing the fire wasn’t real. The snow beneath it wasn’t melting, and the animals were translucent reflections. Pitch took charge of the fearlings and led them to his daughter near the trenches. He spoke through shadowed silhouettes, catching her attention. The fearlings took the forms of soldiers, and Pitch filled in panicked dialogue about sloppy hunting that led to the forest fire. Mother Nature was easily fooled into chasing the soldier fearlings through the fire, angered by their recklessness. Pitch had them lead her to MiM’s clearing. Once she stepped into the full moonlight, the fire illusion disappeared. She gazed up at the moon, confused and vulnerable under its bright glow.

“Now!” Pitch yelled at the moon, surrounding the clearing with his army of fearlings. MiM cast a halo of light around the moon and shot it down at the clearing, cutting Mother Nature off from the darkness in her own circle of searing white magic. Pitch gritted his teeth through the pain of the bright lights reflected off the snow and called out to the void, who for weeks had only been listening to and working with Mother Nature. It was stubborn at first and unresponsive until it heard nothing from its favoured host. When it finally submitted, the void formed to Pitch’s command and rose inside the moon’s light barrier. Mother Nature shed her ebony form, appearing as Emily Jane. She ran up to the barrier and pressed her hands against it, pleading with Pitch to release her in a last-ditch effort to appeal to her father. Desperate green eyes filled with tears as the void spread and crept towards her. She banged a fist on the barrier, and he was glad he couldn’t hear her over the powerful light magic. MiM watched Pitch shed a single tear as he commanded the void to swallow her and take her back to Nightfall. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as she disappeared. MiM waited a few moments before releasing his light. The clearing was deafeningly silent when all their magic faded.

_“I’ll never forget what you’ve done here tonight.”_

“Tell the Guardians what happened here tonight, and I’ll put another crater all the way through your ship.” Pitch left through a portal to Nightfall and got to work sealing his daughter and the void away far beneath the castle, behind layer upon layer of complex obscuring and shielding spells. The Man in the Moon worked the Guardians overtime to heal mankind. The first world war was ending. From the little they had witnessed, the Guardians all believed that the uptick in disease, fear, conflict, and death had been Pitch’s doing, and that his sudden disappearance and MiM’s powerful glow meant that MiM had defeated Pitch for the time being.

“The Man in the Moon kept his promise to me and never told the Guardians what really happened. It was my fault she had succumbed to darkness, so I willingly took the fall. I knew one day she would be free again, and I knew she would be upset, but I had truly hoped she would return having seen the error of her ways…” Kozmotis stroked Jack’s hair. They sat beside the fire, Jack across his lap and curled in close for warmth. Jack had asked him to explain how Rhea had come to be locked away in Nightfall, hoping to understand and perhaps even use her experience for his own acceptance of darkness.

“Why didn’t you want the Guardians to know? You saved mankind from what could have been the worst viral disaster in history.”

“Because I didn’t do it for the humans. I did it trying to protect her, and because it was my fault…”

“It was not your fault.” Jack nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “Just like what I did was not your fault. I did this. I made the choice to go against what you said. And I will deal with the consequences.” He leaned back and met eyes with Kozmotis. “Even if it means having to lock me up, too.”

“I truly hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I mean… it’s not like I came into it wanting to go all Black Death on mankind,” he said with an impish look.

“No,” Kozmotis gave him a wise but pained smile. “You sacrificed yourself to free me and my daughter, not knowing what might happen. Everything you do is pure and good-hearted, even if it’s a little stupid sometimes,” he whispered the last part. “And I won’t lock you away. I can’t do that again. Instead, I’ll be here to help you through it. Because… maybe you’re right. Maybe all it takes to overcome darkness is one special Nightlight.”

North found himself shaking- not from fear, but from rage. Rhea stood before the Guardians, solemn and sniffling from relating her story to them. With a dark look and a sword at the ready, North declared, “Pitch Black will pay for what he has done, once and for all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started to become a bit of an alternate history fic- the woman she infected would soon be known as "Typhoid Mary."
> 
> Thank you, endlessly, for the hits and kudos and comments! Enjoy the double-feature, and I'll have the next chapter up on Thursday! Until later, my frostlings!


	49. Star Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *smut warning* *minor plot at the end*

**Ch. 49- Star Soul**

“What are you doing?” Kozmotis stared down at Jack.

“You’re warm, stop judging me…” Jack was nuzzling hard into his neck and squirming, trying to get as close as possible even though he was already in the other’s lap.

“Easy, little light… I’m not judging,” Kozmotis chuckled.

“You got warmer, and I like it,” he mumbled, blushing. Kozmotis grunted as he lifted Jack and rose from their chair then sat on the floor right in front of the fire with him.

“I hate to break it to you, but I think you actually became colder. Does the fire help?” Jack nodded, clinging to Kozmotis’ robes. Kozmotis looked at the fire and then at Jack as he curled up tighter in his lap. He looked small and frail. “How come my warmth and the warmth from the fire are comforting, but North’s little prison cell was torturous for you?”

“I’m not sure,” Jack muttered. “It was really intense, though. It’s not the same.” Jack looked up at Kozmotis, dark eyes full of curiosity and need. Jack ran a hand over his face, studying the features that had changed back. “Do you… feel better? Like, free from the darkness?” Kozmotis took Jack’s hand in his own and kissed his palm gently.

“I do feel better, yes. I haven’t had this kind of clarity and peace since my fall, but don’t mistake that for freedom. You stole my heart, Jack Frost, so, in a way, I can’t be free from darkness. Not as long as you hold it,” he smirked. He ran a few fingers over Jack’s mouth to keep him from apologizing again. “Hush. I know why you did it. I can’t be upset right now.” He held Jack a little tighter. “I suppose you might be right, though. You’re not as fragile as I thought. You’re doing much better than I did after being exposed to the void.”

“Maybe it’s because I have you. I’m not alone,” Jack said quietly, pressing his forehead to the other’s.

“No, you’re not alone.” Jack pushed it into a kiss, his arms snaking around Kozmotis’ neck. He heard whispers biting at his ears, little voices telling him to attack. To take everything he could from Kozmotis. To hurt him, drain him, use his fragile heart against him, block out his light. Shadows rose behind Jack, starting to block the fire, and he pushed Kozmotis down to his back forcefully. He straddled Kozmotis and ran his hands down his chest, amazed as the shadows dissolved their clothes away.

“You never told me how easy that was…” Kozmotis felt the slightest twinge of fear looking up at Jack and his dangerously curious, dark eyes. But he was just exploring the powers. He didn’t mean any harm. And damn if the darkness didn’t suit him, Kozmotis thought. His stone-like, marble skin and wicked smile. His stark white hair contrasting against the shadows curling in excitement behind him. His heart raced with self-endangering lust for the powerful ice sprite.

“You are… so enticing,” he said, looking up at Jack. “What have you done to me?” He smirked.

“Whatever I did, it’s in the past. I want to focus on what I’m about to do to you,” Jack said with a wild, toothy smile. He slid down carefully, hands following his eyes as he inspected his partner’s body. “You look so different in… gold? You have human-like skin, but… with a dim glow. I always thought you were just golden like Sandman.”

“I suppose you did only ever see me from a distance.” Jack tested his control of the shadows, surprised by how quickly they responded. Kozmotis hissed in pleasure as one wrapped around his cock, and he watched like he was hypnotized as Jack bent down and took half into his mouth. He let Jack have his way, slow and cold and teasing and so terribly sexy when he glanced up to lock eyes. Jack twitched suddenly, tearing his mouth away as the voices grew louder in his mind. Kozmotis recognized the panic as Jack looked around wildly for the source of the voices. He reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. “They’re coming from inside your mind. It takes some getting used to, having a thousand creatures try to boss you around…,” he muttered. Jack’s brow creased.

“I can… I can handle it…,” he mumbled. He took a few deep breaths, waiting them out, and then looked down at Kozmotis again when they quieted.

“I’ll tell you a secret,” Kozmotis said, sitting up on his elbows. Jack’s eyes sparked in response. “The most silence I had was when I was doing anything with you. Fighting, sparring, training… making love,” he listed slowly. “You chased the darkness away. Let me do the same for you.” He wrapped an arm around Jack’s waist and brought him closer. Jack submitted as Kozmotis stretched him slowly, peppering him with gentle kisses all the while. The shadows fell back to the floor like a shifting puddle, and the fire was warm beside them. “Ready?” He asked after a few minutes. Jack nodded and lifted his hips eagerly.

“Please…” Kozmotis pressed in, pushing Jack’s hips down and holding him tightly. Despite knowing how strong the sprite was, he still felt like Jack might break if he was too rough. The two fell into a quick, passionate pace with hands traveling and lips bruising. Jack took charge again after several minutes, pushing Kozmotis down by his chest and riding him aggressively. He watched with admiration as Jack took what he desired, and he noticed that Jack wasn’t freezing everything he touched for once. He wasn’t even making it snow. His sensual voice filled the space and echoed back at them, punctuated by the sounds of their bodies coupling over and over again. Kozmotis could tell when he was getting close and stole back control. He rose and embraced Jack then rolled over and pressed him into the floor. Jack groaned at the shift, still trying to keep his pace.

“Patience. I want you to feel me like this.” Kozmotis lifted Jack’s leg, putting the crook of his knee on his shoulder and driving in deeper. Jack cried out, his face torn in pleasure and highlighted by the flames in the fireplace. Jack tensed up, tightening on Kozmotis as he started driving in deeper and deeper. He refused to finish first and used a shadow around the base of his cock to keep from coming, groaning as the pain only made him clench more. “Precious, naughty little thing you are,” Kozmotis chuckled as he realized what Jack was doing. “You can come for me. I want to watch you unravel.” Jack’s moans hitched as Kozmotis’ glowing eyes scanned over him.

“No. I… can wait…,” Jack said, his breaths labored.

“Can you?” Kozmotis ran a hand down Jack’s chest and then grabbed his length in his long, warm fingers. Jack struggled to keep the shadow in place as he fought his desire to finish. Kozmotis’ eyes glowed brighter, and the air seemed to vibrate and shake. Jack gasped loudly as his partner started vibrating, taking control of the particles all around them.

“I- ah- Koz!” He lost the shadow binding as he felt electric surges of vibration deep inside him and all over his sensitive skin. Kozmotis watched proudly as Jack tensed with his strong climax, his mouth locked open spilling beautiful sounds and his eyes squeezed shut. He rode through Jack’s orgasm before following himself, filling the moaning, messy sprite. Jack twitched as he came down from the high and Kozmotis slowly stopped the buzzing sensation. “Ha- how… ahh… how did…” Jack barely remembered being cleaned and taken to bed, muttering in brain-dead pleasure all the while.

“You thought I could do naughty things with the shadows? There’s plenty more I can do now,” he grinned. Jack curled into his chest as the blankets were pulled over him, sated and a little sleepy.

“Can we just stay like this forever?” Jack asked, though he was so exhausted he wouldn’t remember asking. “Here in Nightfall… just you and me… no Guardians, no belief, just us.” Kozmotis held him close, hiding his somber disappointment. He didn’t answer out loud. He just rubbed Jack’s back until he fell asleep. He knew they couldn’t stay like this forever. The Guardians would learn of Jack’s fall to darkness. Rhea would probably be with them. Their future held much more conflict than he wanted to face, but for now, he could let Jack believe that this moment was forever for them both. It reminded him of the years spent with Jack lodged in his heart, sleeping peacefully with his Nightlight. Despite his anger upon waking, it had been the best sleep of his life, and the truest love he had ever felt.

In a miraculous turn of events for the pair, though, the Guardians had decided to wait. Rhea had left the island, storming off enraged by their reluctance to “serve justice and save a friend.” Under Sandman’s guidance, they had voted to wait for The Man in the Moon to return. He had been silent for too long, and they were in desperate need of leadership. Tooth set up a temporary base on Easter Island, Sandman planned to return once a day between spreading dreams across the world, and North was set on helping Bunnymund get ready for Easter. Rhea, too, would wait for the Man in the Moon’s input. What would he think, she wondered, when he found out his pure-hearted Nightlight bodyguard had finally been swallowed by darkness? She couldn’t help but smile at the irony. Deep down, though, she was worried. With the greedy desires of the void cleared from her mind and the maturity that followed her years of isolation, she worried for her father. He was wholly and completely in love with Jack Frost. It would have been beautiful for them to come together as a strange sort of family, but not with this dark possession involved. Would she lose him to darkness again as he tried to stay with Jack? Or would he lose himself when he realized what would have to happen…?

Rhea could sense the forces at work on Earth. She could sense that humans had done much to try to repair the environmental damage they had done, though they were still failing miserably. She could feel the balance like a scale in her soul, and she could feel any living creature she put her mind to. Putting her anger and feelings of abandonment aside, she was genuinely concerned for Kozmotis. She could feel Jack’s soul: a bright, powerful magnetar, stronger perhaps than any other star in the universe. Had he fulfilled his oath and not tainted his magic with mortality, he would have certainly become an all-powerful cosmic being, stronger than her whole family and the general’s army combined. But that dense, bright light was now vulnerable. Jack had shed his powers to become human, and the Man in the Moon had only granted him back control over certain things to sate his energetic soul while keeping him restrained as well. His power over ice, wind, and fun was only a small fraction of the things he was truly capable of. She worried what would happen when he realized how long he’d been held back by the people he trusted most. She worried what he would become when the darkness took over completely and unlocked the power in the star’s soul. She worried for the fate of her favorite planet, and for her father whom she had only just gotten back. She regretted lashing out at him when they could have reconciled outside the darkness. She could be there right now, holding his hand and trying to help Jack work through the possession. Surely, though, her words and actions were irredeemable. She had made her choice. She had cast Jack into darkness and selfishly tried to keep Kozmotis away from him. There’s no way either of them would have her back now, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something short and sweet to kick off the weekend- I know there's a lot to process right now! Also, thanks for almost 200KUDOSOHMYGODI'MDYINGTHANKYOU!!!


	50. Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday everyone! Thank you so much for getting this fic to 200+ kudos! I couldn't be happier, and I hope you're enjoying this c~r~a~z~y story! Ok, here we go, can't believe we're on CHAPTER 50!

**Ch. 50- Hunger**

Jack woke only minutes after Kozmotis had fallen asleep. He heard loud, dizzying whispers invading his mind again, spurring anxiety and paranoia as he held still. Kozmotis’ embrace had loosened slightly in his sleep, but they were still entangled. Jack felt restless. He thought about the shadow travel power and barely had to focus to use it. He slid through darkness as fast as he could picture it in his mind and reappeared solid at the foot of the bed. He fell over, disoriented, and jumped back up with wide eyes to see if he’d disturbed Kozmotis. Jack was relieved to see he hadn’t moved. He hunched over suddenly, grabbing the post of the bed. He felt so empty inside it was making him sick. He was craving… something. It was nothing like human hunger, though. This wasn’t the nausea triggered by the bubbling acid of an empty stomach. This was a different kind of hunger, and it was getting worse by the minute. He looked at Kozmotis and wanted to wake him, but the voices in his head grew painfully loud as he reached out, and they drove him to the floor.

_Feed us!_

_Empty, so empty…_

_A single nightmare will do_

_Rancid dreams and horrors!_

“Shut up!” Jack whispered harshly back and clutched his head, curling up on the floor. Kozmotis stirred but didn’t wake. He struggled to get back to his feet, and fearlings started to crowd around him. Their bright eyes, beads of solid black and yellow and glowing red, looked up at him expectantly from pools of shadow. Jack shivered as the hunger wracked his body. He felt weak. He reached up and grabbed his staff, and then he saw the cloak hanging next to it. He gave a small smile as he reached out and ran a hand down the soft lining. He hung his staff back up and pulled the cloak on, fastening it over his collarbone. He watched in amazement as the swirls of light running down the white cloak slowly turned black. Pitch had made it with a fusion of their magic, so it made sense that with Jack’s changes, the cloak would change, too. He pulled the robe up over his arm to watch as darkness crept along the magic swirls. The swirls thickened and came to sharp points, and the lower half of the cloak made a gradient from white to gray to black to shadow that blended into the floor. “Whoa… cool.” A couple fidgets formed out of the shadows and played around in the part that dragged on the floor, their heads and strange antenna-like horns poking up through the enchanted fabric. Jack chuckled and had an idea. “Maybe instead of nightmares… I can feed you guys something else. Our magic is combined now.” Jack leaned down and picked up one of the fidgets. Even with Jack in charge now, they still didn’t fully appreciate being treated like docile pets as he tried to stroke the one he picked up.

“Aaahh-nn!” The fidget opened its mouth wide and went to bite down on his hand, shivering as its teeth clacked empty on air.

“Hey!” Jack yanked his arm away and held the fidget out in a shadow limb. He covered his mouth and looked back at Kozmotis who was starting to wake back up. Jack left a message in ice on the nearest mirror and disappeared through a portal. It was nighttime in Hawthorne and cloudy, he found as he walked out from the woods onto a hill. His absence hadn’t prevented winter, but the air didn’t have the right bite to it, and the snow on the ground was packed, dirty slush. “I’ll need to fix this,” Jack muttered as he felt another strange hunger pang, “after I fix myself…” He felt himself being drawn in a certain direction, but it was opposite the way he wanted to go. He ignored the sensation and followed his own plan. The fearlings had already started to try to lead the way and were upset when Jack took off and left them behind. They chased after him, chanting about how hungry they were. Jack flew in a zig-zag pattern low over the houses, fighting the urge to go the other direction. He found a familiar home in a familiar neighborhood and flew down to the dark window. Jack felt a string of hope pluck in his heart; Jamie still kept his window unlocked.

Jack pushed the window open and drifted inside on a gentle but chilling breeze. Shadows pooled at his feet, beady eyes watching his every move. The fearlings didn’t understand his attention to this child in specific. Jamie was an average thirteen-year-old. In the past three years, his addiction to conspiracy theories had since waned and been partially replaced with an interest in the opposite gender. Jack looked around the room to see some of his posters and books had been replaced with a sexy-model sports calendar and pictures with his friends and hockey memorabilia.

“I guess it’s been a little while since I visited, hasn’t it?” Jack said quietly, looking back at the sprawled mess of a pre-teen sleeping sloppily in his bed. “You’ve grown… and you’re still missing a tooth,” he chuckled as the boy snored, revealing a hockey-related tooth gap. He took a knee by Jamie’s bedside and felt the darkness fading as he leaned on his staff, staring at the first child to ever believe in him as Jack Frost, Bringer of Winter. The child who bravely defended him and the other Guardians when faced with ultimate darkness. The child who stood witness to his own oath-giving as a Guardian. He stood up and backed away with a mischievous smirk. “No one knows fun and belief like you do,” he said, summoning a snowball in his palm. He blew fun frost magic into it and chucked it directly at Jamie’s face. The boy snapped awake and fell out of bed with a loud thump on the floor. Jack laughed and tapped his staff on the floor, summoning a gentle, magic snowfall into his room. Jamie sat up, eyes sparkling, but they didn’t focus on him right away. Jack eyed Jamie nervously. This wasn’t something he had expected.

“What…?” Jamie looked up at the snow falling in his room and blinked his eyes a few times. “Dreaming…?” He muttered to himself.

“No,” Jack scoffed. “This is me, not Sandman,” he said, pointing at himself. Jamie heard his voice faintly and looked around, frightened.

“Who’s there!” He jumped to his feet and grabbed his hockey stick, holding it up as a weapon. The fearlings pooled as shadows unseen at Jamie’s feet, sensing his little bits of fear and trying to pluck away at them.

“Jamie. It’s me,” Jack said, stepping closer. “Can… can you hear me?” Jamie was frozen in place and nodded, but his eyes were looking straight through Jack. “Can you see me?” Jack asked in almost a whisper, afraid of the answer. Jamie shook his head slowly until enough magic-imbued snow had fallen on him to spark his fun. Jack backed away, panicked thoughts starting to rush through his mind. Jamie blinked a few more times and adjusted, relaxing as Jack came into view.

“Jack Frost,” Jamie said, relaxing and dropping the hockey stick. Jack gave a shuddering sigh of relief.

“You had me worried,” he smirked. “Has it really been so long since I last visited?”

“It’s been two years, at least,” Jamie said, thinking back to his previous Christmases.

“I guess I did do a lot of traveling after picking up the Guardian gig,” Jack muttered. “I’m sorry.”

“You look… really different,” Jamie said. “It’s crazy, actually! Sophie told me she saw you, weeks ago! I- I didn’t believe her. I didn’t even know what she was talking about.”

“She did? Oh, she must be, what five or six now?”

“Yeah, just turned six. She started school this past fall.”

“And she recognized me? When? Where!” Jack flew around, a little excited.

“Said she saw you at the theater for the Frozen double-feature. I figured she just saw someone dressed up as Elsa,” Jamie chuckled. Jack was going to retort when the fearlings suddenly reminded him he had not come here to catch up with a friend. They screamed into his head, demanding to be fed, and drove him to the floor again with the volume and force of their desires.

“Jack!” Jamie rushed to his side. “What’s wrong!” Jack fought through the voices and sat up, groaning.

“Uh… a lot’s happened this year…” Jamie screamed and launched himself back onto the bed, suddenly able to see the fearlings creeping around his room. Jack stood again.

“No, no! Sh-sh! It’s okay! They’re- they’re with me. It’s- I won’t let them hurt you. Look, uh… long story short, I made a deal with Pitch Black. I helped him get out of the darkness, but in turn, this kind of happened. Now, I’m trying to help them. I came here because I wanted to see if instead of fear and nightmares, I could get them to feed on fun and happiness.” Jamie stared at him like he was crazy. “Don’t be scared. They’re not so bad.” Jack took a knee, making himself smaller in stature so Jamie wouldn’t be afraid. One of the fidgets poked around under his cloak again, and he swept it out into view in his arms. “See? You don’t have to be afraid. We can have fun, instead,” Jack said, smiling. He opened the window a little wider. “Come on.” Then, a golden glow came from outside. Sandman was somewhere in the clouds, spreading dreams to the children of Hawthorne. “Oh, even better. You can still see Sandy and his dream sand, right?” Jamie came to the window slowly, cautious of the fearlings and shifting darkness in his room.

“I don’t see anything…,” Jamie said, looking around the sky and trying to follow Jack’s gaze. “Your eyes are black,” he whispered. “I must be dreaming… Jack Frost never would have made a deal with Pitch or gone dark. And my friends don’t even really remember what happened that night. They said I was crazy whenever I tried bringing it up.”

“Jamie… we talked about this. If you stop believing, even a little, it messes with your memories. It just means they stopped believing. But you’ve always believed in all of us. You even believed in Pitch, you stood up to him!”

“I get called out and made fun of for still believing in things like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. It’s fine for Sophie, but it’s not fine for me anymore. I want to believe all those things happened, but I can’t stand how they treat me at school. I think… I think maybe I need to grow up.” Jamie turned back, and his room was empty. The snow was gone. The window was closed. Jack and the fearlings were nowhere in sight. The air was warm. Already, his memory of Jack returning with snow and black eyes was fading. He wondered if he’d been sleepwalking.

“Jamie! Jamie! Look at me! I’m right in front of you! I’m real! Everything we did was real! The snow, the sled, the battle for dreams! Please, Jamie, don’t do this!” Jack leaned forward to grab his shoulders and phased straight through the boy, crying out in shock and despair as he fell to the floor. His eyes misted. This was why the Guardians were constantly working on their gifts and holidays. They were always moving forward to the next child, because eventually, children forgot about magic and grew up. He could understand that. But what he couldn’t understand was how a thirteen-year-old boy could have already given up on magic and belief. “You believed more than anyone! You were the last light in the world that night!” He yelled at Jamie, blinded by the tears in his eyes. Jamie got back in bed, and as he was adjusting his covers, his door opened. Sophie wandered in, a little taller, her hair still as messy as ever.

“Sophie, no, go back to bed…”

“Heard voices,” she muttered. “Was loud.”

“There are no voices. I was just dreaming. I’m going back to sleep, and you should, too. Go, before I tell Mom.” Sophie pouted, and then she gasped as she saw Jack floating by the window.

“Jack Frost!” She pointed. Jack sniffed and wiped his eyes on his shoulder quickly. He offered her a small smile and landed slowly. At least someone could see him. “I told you I saw him!”

“Not this again,” Jamie groaned. “Soph, none of that happened!” Sophie looked between Jamie and Jack.

“But he’s-” As much as it pained him, Jack put a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet about it. He looked at Jamie and shook his head to tell her that Jamie couldn’t see. Sophie huffed and bit her lip. “Poopy-head,” she grumbled and left, closing the door behind her.

“Whatever,” Jamie muttered and pulled the covers over his head. Jack phased through the darkness and reappeared next to Sophie in the hall. He put a hand on her shoulder and led her back to her room.

“My brother can’t see you?” She asked as she climbed onto her bed.

“He could, for a few minutes, and then… he convinced himself I wasn’t real…”

“He made you really sad,” Sophie said, reaching out and touching Jack’s face. He was perched on his staff, cloak hanging down to the floor, at the foot of her bed. She giggled. “You’re cold.” Jack smirked and blew a frosty breeze in her face. “And you smell minty,” she giggled harder.

“Maybe you can help me,” Jack said.

“Are you gonna make it snow? I dinnit get to make a snowman yet this year.” Jack tilted his head with a smile.

“Do you want to build a snowman?” He asked, dipping his head. Sophie giggled more, rolling on her bed.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Let’s go build a snowman.” Sophie started singing the build-a-snowman song from the movie as Jack picked her up and floated out through her window to the front yard. “Ready?” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pointed his staff at the sky. She nodded with a big grin. Jack formed thicker clouds, and fat snowflakes started falling. To speed up the process, he cast a few inches of perfect powder snow into their yard and set her down.

“Yay! I want to make it perfect just for Jamie to see in the morning!” Jack let himself be warmed by her excitement and helped her roll the snow into a ball almost as big as her. The fearlings watched, buzzing with hunger and growing frustration, but Jack was able to ignore them as he worked within his center. Sophie glowed with happiness as Jack helped her craft the snowman and decorate him. He noticed she was starting to get a little too cold, though. Her nose and cheeks and ears were bright red, and he could tell her fingers were getting stiff as she put little rocks on the snow for buttons.

“I think that’s good enough. Time to get you warmed up.” The fearlings were getting sick of waiting and decided to light a fire under Jack’s feet by waking Kozmotis. A few in Nightfall heard the call from the others with Jack and rose beside the general. They yanked the blanket off and covered the bed in swirling, fear-filled shadows. Kozmotis jerked awake and summoned a golden sword, immediately going on the defensive.

“Back!” The fearlings scattered, and Kozmotis noticed the bed was empty. “Oh no.” He saw the ice writing on the mirror, “Be back soon,” and summoned himself a new set of robes. “Where is Jack?” He demanded of the fearlings. They made him a portal, giving him fanged smiles as he walked through with a determined look. He popped out in Sophie’s bedroom as Jack tucked her in. Jack didn’t notice him at first. He was too focused on trying to get the fearlings to feed on fun instead of fear, not that he knew how it worked with fear to begin with. He placed a hand on Sophie’s forehead as she fell asleep and tried to feel out her memories of building the snowman with him. It was fulfilling for him, but only as Jack Frost, not as the Boogeyman role he’d acquired. Their voices still scratched and screamed in his mind, and the hunger pangs quickly returned. He saw a golden glow in the room and turned to see Kozmotis standing by her closet.

“Before you say anything, no.” Jack tried to answer the questions he assumed Kozmotis would ask, lifting a finger between each answer. “No. It hurts. And, I just thought I should try.”

“We need to leave before you hurt the people you care about,” Kozmotis said, trying to be as gentle and quiet as possible.

“Doesn’t totally matter,” Jack muttered. “Jamie stopped believing. I was right in front of him. Got him to see me. And… he talked himself out of it. It was snowing in his room. I was talking to him. And he… just forgot.”

“Jack,” Kozmotis said sympathetically. “I’m sorry.” One of the older fearlings couldn’t wait any longer and crept beside Sophie on the bed. She curled up and whimpered, her happy dream about Jack Frost and the snowman turning dark as the snowman started chasing after her with sharp teeth. Jack looked over and swept the fearling away.

“Stop it! Leave her alone!” But as he reached over Sophie to protect her, he could suddenly sense her fear. It started to fill him, like fresh rainwater trickling into sun-parched desert sand. Kozmotis yanked Jack back away from her, and Jack immediately fought back, trying to fling himself from the other’s hold. “Let me go!” Kozmotis formed his own portal beneath their feet and fell into the forest outside Hawthorne with Jack braced hard against his chest, arms locked around him.

“You can’t feed the fearlings with fun, and if you don’t find a way to control this, you’ll hurt the very children you care for!” Jack cast sharp spikes of ice in every direction. Kozmotis fell back and released him, healing quickly from the attack. “Jack!” He scolded. Jack turned back to see he’d actually hurt Kozmotis trying to get to Sophie and her fear, and he started to snap back out of it.

“I… I’m sorry,” he whispered, hugging himself. “I’m just… so… hungry…” He relaxed suddenly, darkness wrapping around his legs and spreading around his feet in a swirling pool. He clenched his teeth and shook his head, trying to fight the darkness and the fearlings’ demanding voices.

“It’s okay, Jack, I know somewhere safe we can go,” Kozmotis tried to take his hand, but Jack flinched back.

“No! I know what I want!” Jack took off into the cloudy sky, followed by streaks of darkness and shadow.

“Jack! Wait!” Kozmotis whistled and summoned Lumaera. He hopped on and nudged her upwards. She ran through the air after Jack, feet pounding like they were still on the ground as she climbed. Sandman had long since gone, and Jack burst through the clouds into a clear sky under a full moon.

“MiM.” Jack stared at the bright moon wide-eyed until its light started to hurt him. He wanted to say something powerful and meaningful, but words escaped him in his weakened, starving state. Instead, he just smiled. His smile broke his skin, black marbling cracking apart until his smile was unnaturally large, broken almost all the way to his ears. He threw his arms out to the sides and summoned the void of darkness and fearlings. Pure, childlike laughter poured from his unnerving smile as darkness rushed around him like a massive cloak, swirling over his arms and draping down to the clouds below. As Kozmotis breached the cloud cover, he looked up to see Jack blocking out half the moon’s light, his figure silhouetted on its large, bright surface. No more, Jack thought, would he worry about if children believed in him, or if the Guardians believed in him. No more panic, no more anxiety, no more paranoia. “We’re gonna have fun instead,” he said with a wild look in his eyes. He dove suddenly, spinning faster and faster as he broke back through the clouds. Kozmotis reined in his horse to slow down as he gazed up at the Man in the Moon. He, too, was at a loss for words. He knew what this must look like, and he didn’t have time to explain. His brows knitted together, and he took off full speed after Jack.

Jack spread his arms and glided across the sky, heavy snowfall following behind him. He followed his instincts, searching for a fulfilling meal as he traveled west. Kozmotis couldn’t keep up even with Lumaera, but following Jack’s messy trail of snow and dark clouds was easy enough. Jack flew as fast as he could when he realized what the darkness was pulling him towards. He could sense this child’s fear from miles away. It became more potent every mile he drew closer. How Pitch had been able to resist it before, he didn’t know. And he wasn’t sure which thoughts were his own anymore and which were the fearlings’, but right now he didn’t care. All he cared about was the next meal- a little girl’s fear of her abusive, drunkard father.


	51. Moody

**Ch. 51- Moody**

The dark ice spirit snickered to himself as the clouds cleared enough for him to feel the Man in the Moon’s light bearing down on him. MiM knew the Guardians were waiting anxiously for guidance, but he needed the full picture before he could lead them properly. He felt heavy with sadness as he realized just how deeply afflicted Jack was with darkness; the void had penetrated through to his heart, but fortunately, not his soul. Jack still held the pure core of a star, shining brightly inside its prison of darkness. Jack rolled over, flying on his back to look up at the moon. He raised both middle fingers and stuck out his tongue, still chuckling to himself. MiM was not amused but remained silent and observant.

Jack dove out of the sky again and landed on Lilac’s rooftop. He could feel the fear pouring out from every crack and vent in the house. Fearlings crowded around the property, humming and chanting and buzzing in their strangled, whispered language. He took a deep breath in, ready to dive into the shadows and find Lilac, when he found himself staring at the moon again.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jack snapped. “I’m not doing anything wrong!” Shadows and darkness rolled around his feet along the roof like choppy ocean waves. “I know it sounds wrong if I get defensive like that… but what do you expect me to do! I’ve only ever tried to do the right thing,” Jack said, perching up on his staff just to get a little closer to MiM. Kozmotis zoomed in on Jack with a spyglass as he drew closer and realized he was talking to the moon. He stopped in the trees nearby just within earshot to observe. MiM refused to respond. He just let Jack talk himself out like he always did. “The right thing… The right thing to do here is help the first child to genuinely believe in the Boogeyman, isn’t it? I can’t feed on her fear… I’m here because she needs help again.” The fearlings screamed at him in his head, and Jack fell over. He scrambled to grab onto the roof as he rolled down, loud voices in his mind distracting him. He snagged the gutter and caught his staff as it slid off the roof next to him. He tried to float down to the ground but fell into the bushes without so much as a hover. Kozmotis dismounted and crept closer, realizing he was trying to hide in the shadows and couldn’t anymore. He stayed behind the trees, worried as he watched Jack struggle with the darkness.

Jack climbed out of the bushes, his hair and cloak a mess of dirt and leaves, and he glared at the moon like MiM had knocked him off the roof. He combed his hair back with his fingers and brushed himself off. The house was quiet. He remembered there being two vehicles, but now he only saw one in the driveway. He shifted through shadows to check the garage, and then came back out. “One truck. Did they go on a trip? No, she wouldn’t be here if that were it,” he said, talking to himself. The fearlings rose from the darkness under his cloak and scratched at his legs like needy little monsters. He hissed at them and cast a cold wind to knock them back, surprised by his own reaction. “Shut up! We’re not here to feed! I won’t let you!”

The ancient fearlings started to scream at him, demanding his compliance. Jack clasped his staff in both hands, fighting their influence. He felt the tendrils of darkness squeezing his heart, the voices screaming painfully in his mind, and the hollow sensation throughout his body making him weak and vulnerable. He focused on happiness, clutching at light-filled memories to force the darkness back. Kozmotis watched from the trees as Jack started to glow white and kicked up a breeze, cold wind swirling around him and fluttering through the cloak. The moon seemed to get brighter with MiM’s curiosity as he watched Jack, too. The fearlings backed away from Jack, hissing and retreating from his intensifying light. Jack’s cosmic soul shined through his body, purifying the darkness inside him slowly. The black in his eyes started to fade away, and the tendrils on his heart loosened their grip. The ancient fearlings hissed and whispered to each other, realizing they had to act fast to keep Jack under the control of the void. Kozmotis watched Jack with admiration in his eyes, getting ready to step out. He wanted to encourage and support him, prove his trust. But then several fearlings formed together behind Jack, creating a familiar silhouette. The ancient fearlings improved their design, making the silhouette solid and pulling from Jack’s memories to fill in the details. Jack flinched back as the fearlings put a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to see Pitch standing behind him, hands folded behind his back, eyes proud and smug.

“You’re doing so well, Jack,” he said quietly. Kozmotis had never seen the fearlings create such an accurate doppelganger. As he stepped forward to intervene, the void opened underneath him and sent him tumbling into darkness. It couldn’t keep someone as powerful as Kozmotis stalled for very long, but hopefully it would be long enough to convince Jack to feed them.

“Pitch?” Jack looked disarmed, and the darkness returned to his eyes and his cloak. “No, that’s not… I freed you! I took the darkness to free you!”

“Kozmotis is free. But he’s not the one you love. You fell for me, Jack. I supported you. I never tried to control you or hold you back, did I?”

“How are you…” Jack walked around the fearlings in a circle, trying to figure out what was going on. “How are you here? I thought you were Kozmotis possessed by darkness. I don’t understand…” He rubbed his head.

“I did possess him. We are different entities,” the fearlings lied, using Jack’s memories to fill in his sultry voice and light accent. “It upset me, watching you lay with him… you’re mine. You said so yourself.” Jack took a step back, starting to feel guilty.

“But… he remembers everything.”

“He does. We were of one mind. He thinks he loves you, but does he really, Jack? He doesn’t trust you like I do. He’s trying to hold you back and control you. He doesn’t believe you’re strong enough to handle the darkness yourself. But I can see that you are. You belong with me, Jack. I can show you how to feed without hurting children. I’m willing to accept your light ways,” he appealed, fingertips on his chest. He bent down to Jack’s level and met eyes with him. The fearlings reflected Jack’s memories at him to make Pitch’s eyes look just as golden and full as before. “Let me show you.” He walked past Jack towards the house. Jack felt little alarms going off all over. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. How was Pitch still alive? Had he really sat back and watched as Kozmotis took Jack for his own? Jack swallowed down the sickly feeling of guilt and followed the fearlings submissively into the house.

The sensation of fear was stronger by tenfold once he was inside. Jack followed it blindly now, the hunger taking him over. He was drawn to the basement, walking down steep wooden steps into a black room. His staff glowed dimly as he led the way with it. The fearlings had fallen back into darkness, letting the hunger guide Jack. Lilac was on a small cot in the far corner by the boiler, curled up. She was shivering violently, her thin blanket barely big enough to cover her small body. Jack tilted his staff over her for a better look. She was thin and bruised. Her arms had dark marks from where large hands had grabbed her, and she had a thin, yellow line around her neck. Jack was too hungry to be concerned with how she got the marks. He could feel her fear reignite as he brushed cold fingertips gently over the bruises on her arms. She snapped awake and pressed herself against the wall, knees to her chest.

“No!” She peeked an eye open to see Jack. “Who- who are you?” She whimpered.

“I’m Jack Frost. Do you remember the Boogeyman?” He asked, scooting closer. The fearlings started to feed on her fear, drawing it out. She cringed as they forced her to think of her father. Jack could see her memories as she met his eyes. Her mother had left with her aunt. Her father blamed her, calling her a little witch and all sorts of horrible names. He locked her in the basement, “like the monster she was,” and was barely feeding her. Things had only gotten worse after Pitch left. Jack felt anger rising. Lilac nodded.

“He helped me before… but then…” she sniffled and coughed, her throat sore and swollen from screaming and being strangled. Jack scooped her into his arms and held her close, his eyes wide as he felt her fears. She cried into his chest and he held her tightly, breathing harder as she made him feel stronger and less empty.

“I’m the friend he spoke of before,” Jack whispered. “I helped him, and now I have his powers. Let me try to help you, now.” The voices faded away. Lilac’s horrors were deep and traumatizing, easily sating the darkness as she cried.

“How? Are you going to leave, too? He’ll kill me… I know he will!” Lilac sobbed, holding Jack tighter.

“No, no… I won’t leave you here. I want you to come with me. Get away from that awful man.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You can join me. You won’t feel fear or pain. And I’ll take care of you.” Lilac looked around as red- and yellow-eyed fearlings poked their heads out of the darkness. She was still afraid. She was afraid of her father, of starving, of being locked in the basement, of being hurt, but also of turning into one of those dark creatures.

“Does it hurt?” She asked, looking up Jack as he gave her a gentle smile. He was more relaxed now that the fearlings weren’t yelling in his head and the empty feeling had gone away. He felt satisfied and energized.

“No. It’s like falling asleep,” he said, trying to comfort her. He set her down and backed up. He looked regal with his cloak spread behind him and his glowing, scepter-like staff. “It’s up to you.”

“I want to go with you. So… are you the boogeyman now?”

“I think so,” Jack said with a tilted smile.

“Can you tell the other boogeyman I said hi?”

“I will,” Jack chuckled. “Now, this should only take a second.” He nodded at the fearlings, and the darkness swarmed over Lilac. Jack stepped out of the house a few minutes later and looked up at the moon. “I understand now. This isn’t evil. It’s not wrong or right. It’s balance.” A small fearling appeared at his feet and climbed up, clinging to his calf. Unlike the other fearlings, she kept a piece of her personality. She had lilac eyes and smoother features, and she was shy and trusting. Jack picked her up and wrapped her in some of his cloak, walking down the street. Lilac’s human body lay dead on the floor of the dark basement. Kozmotis had broken free from the void just moments before and came running up to Jack, breathing heavily.

“Jack…” He looked at Jack, and then at the little purple-eyed fearling in his arms. Jack was worried about how he would react, and even more worried when he considered what Pitch would think. He still hadn’t realized it was a fearling trick. Jack took a step back, covering Lilac a little more in the folds of his cloak. “What- who is that?”

“Why does it matter? Better question, who are you?” Jack glared at him. “Pitch told me what happened. That you split off from the darkness and tried to make me think you were the same person as him.”

“What? That creature wasn’t real. That thing that looked like Pitch was just the fearlings. It’s how they lured me in, copying my daughter’s voice. It’s how they lured Emily Jane into darkness, by copying my image.”

“It had Pitch’s eyes. Fearlings can’t do that. They make silhouettes. Don’t lie to me!”

“Jack, I trusted you. I could have stopped you when I saw whose house you were going to, but I trusted you enough to handle it on your own,” Kozmotis said, his eyes pleading. “I would never lie to you. I love you.” Jack didn’t want to believe he’d been tricked by the fearlings, but he couldn’t deny how much brighter Kozmotis’ eyes were, and how much more passionate his voice was. The fearlings’ shadow of Pitch had empty eyes and an empty voice. Jack dropped his head, feeling betrayed. He cursed at himself and dropped to his knees.

“They tricked me into feeding off her,” Jack said in a small, broken voice. He released his hold on Lilac. She crept down his lap and wandered closer to Kozmotis, recognizing his soul.

“Lilac,” he said in a disappointed sigh. “Jack, this isn’t right. You can’t just go around turning children because the fearlings tell you to,” he scolded. Jack looked up suddenly with darkness swirling in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, what? How many kids did you convert when you were possessed by darkness? At least I’m the same person! And I did it to help her! Her father was going to kill her!”

“You don’t know that.”

“And what, I was supposed to just let her suffer? I saw her memories. Her life got worse after you gave her dark powers and left.” Kozmotis was about to speak, but Jack cut him off again. Lilac returned to Jack and clung to his leg. “You know what? No, it _is_ my fault. I never should have tried to convince you that darkness could be used for good. Because then you never would have tried to help Lilac. She wouldn’t have scared the shit out of her father with magic. He wouldn’t have locked her in the damn basement with dog food and water!” Jack yelled at him. “Without me, you would have just fed off her fear and moved on. So, I’ll do that. I’ll feed and move on. Maybe have some fun in between.” Kozmotis wrapped Jack in a glowing band of golden plasma, locking his arms to his sides and pulling the staff away with another string of plasma. Jack growled and struggled, falling over as he lost his balance. “Let me go!”

“Not until you calm down. What’s naïve is that you believe this is the worst thing that could happen to a child. I’ve seen humans suffer far worse before accepting darkness. She was afraid of you, wasn’t she? You pressured her into it. Made her feel like you were her only choice. You weren’t protecting her, no, you were flexing your new powers. I won’t let you get power-hungry, and I certainly won’t let you lie to yourself.”

“You’re a hypocrite!” Jack barked, writhing on the ground as he tried to break through Kozmotis’ magic. He felt cut off from the darkness, and it only angered him more. Kozmotis felt wounded by his words, even though he knew it wasn’t really Jack talking. Kozmotis cast a portal to Nightfall and sent Jack through it, releasing and following him inside. Jack rolled across the floor and got back to his feet, going on the offensive. Kozmotis raised his hands slightly in surrender.

“Please calm down. I want to help you, Jack.” Jack covered his face, groaning. “I watched you take Twiner and charge up your own pure light. You were fighting back the darkness with a strength I never had. I still believe in you,” he urged, holding Jack’s staff out to him. Jack reached out and took it carefully, his eyes misting again.

“I don’t know what to do… I couldn’t resist. I’m going to hurt people.”

“I’m here. I will always be here, even if you don’t want me to be.”

“No, I want you here.” Jack lunged into a tight hug. “I’m sorry I said those things.”

“It’s alright. Mood swings is part of the package,” he chuckled lightly. “Remember?” Jack huffed into Kozmotis’ chest.

“Explains why you were always a moody baby about everything, trying to kill me one second and protecting me the next,” he smirked.

“Yes, yes… you don’t need to remind me. And it’s alright, really. It’ll take more than a few harsh words to get me to leave you alone.”

“MiM knows now,” Jack realized.

“But he hasn’t done anything yet. Did he speak to you?”

“No… he just stared at me, like always.”

“Then don’t worry. Besides, he can’t touch you here. Only I can,” Kozmotis smiled, running a hand through Jack’s hair.

“Dirty old man,” Jack muttered.

“Naughty little brat.”


	52. No More Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darkness is hungry and wily... how will Jack handle his possession?  
> Here's the Monday post!

**Ch. 52- No More Rules**

Kozmotis took Jack back to Castle Nightfall and distracted him easily with some training. He reversed their roles, pulling out Jack’s old notes on the dark powers and having him run through the list. Fed and fully energized, Jack was less moody and impulsive. He was responsive, focused, even determined. He seemed set on his old goals again, talking about how if he concentrated hard enough, perhaps he could eventually purify himself, and he and Kozmotis would both be free. Kozmotis enjoyed his optimism and repressed his own doubts. If Jack wanted to believe darkness could be overcome, then so be it. If anyone stood a chance of making that wish come true, it was the ancient star.

But the Man in the Moon was not so certain. Work skidded to a halt at the Warren as a painfully bright beam of light shined down into the main tunnel. Tooth left her MiniFairies to handle the work and drifted out towards the beam of light, mesmerized. North saw the light reflecting through the tunnels and looked up from his work. He’d been trying to paint as many Christmas trees on Bunny’s eggs as possible without the Pooka noticing. Bunnymund hopped out and stopped Tooth from touching the light. Sandman had just been about to leave again to spread dreams when he noticed the light. He recognized it immediately and floated closer, waiting anxiously. North stepped out just as the Man in the Moon materialized before them. He was a caricature of a spirit, a bit like Sandman in stature and stoutness, resembling a balloon with the powerful aura of a mythical being. He had one long curl of hair coming up over his head like a question mark, and he wore creamy white robes that glowed dimly. He was only a little taller than Sandman and rounder in shape. He had a circular, pale face with the innocent joy of a child, but his eyes didn’t match. He had dark gray eyes with wide pupils like craters set in with age and wisdom.

“Manny, we are honored,” North spoke first, taking a knee both for their difference in height and out of regard for royalty. The Man in the Moon looked up slowly, regarding each Guardian individually with a pleasant smile.

“It is a shame we could not all be present,” he finally said. His voice drifted like wind through dried reeds with a light whistle at the end. He was slow to speak, chewing his words thoughtfully. He knew how much weight the Guardians put on the things he said, and he wanted to make sure he was as clear as possible. He could feel questions racing through the Guardians’ minds, but none of them dared speak and interrupt his thought process. “I have seen Jack Frost. He has been infected with darkness.” He gave a lengthy pause between each phrase, not to test their patience, but to allow the Guardians to process what he was saying. “I have also seen General Kozmotis Pitchiner, freed and purified of darkness. They were together. The general was determined to help Jack control his new powers. This is a delicate thing we are faced with.” He closed his eyes, giving a longer silence to allow the others to speak if they wished.

“Can you tell us if what Mother Nature said was true?” Toothiana spoke up first, being the fastest and flightiest of the Guardians. The Man in the Moon put his hand out, his large sleeves dangling almost to the floor. He was asking for Tooth to share her memories. She reached out her slender hand and placed it in his palm. He focused on her for a few moments, his expression shifting before returning to calm.

“I do not know all the facts. I did not see what happened in Castle Nightfall, so I cannot say how Jack was taken by darkness. However, I am inclined not to believe that Pitch Black fed Jack to the void. Do not take my opinion as fact, please.” Tooth pulled back and landed. She leaned against Bunnymund for comfort, feeling conflicted. Tooth adored Mother Nature, but she seemed very different now. Sandman floated up closer to the Man in the Moon.

 _“Tsar, we are all concerned for the health of our friend and newest Guardian, but we are also concerned for the safety of the children and the planet. With the breaking of his spell, we all remember just how powerful Jack Frost truly is. Surely, this cannot be a good sign, his conversion to darkness. How are we to approach a friend, one we barely understand, one we have come to fear, one we shunned and hurt… especially when he’s so close to becoming our most powerful enemy?”_ Sandman asked, his voice just as light, his words just as slow. The Man in the Moon nodded with understanding.

“Mansnoozie,” he said endearingly, as though speaking to a brother or a cousin. “You must be careful. All of you. I have a plan, if you are all willing to enact it. Certain things must happen, but even if we do everything right, we still have a very high risk of failing. Jack has started down a nearly irreversible path. In this plan, I must face him alone. You must all face him together. Without all our allies, we will not stand a chance if Jack ultimately chooses darkness. You must convince Mother Nature to stand with us, no matter what. Even if it means confronting her father. Our best chance to help Jack is to get the general to help us, as well. He will not be easy to convince. If we need his help, it will be because we have to fight Jack Frost. He will not want to fight. He loves very deeply, very passionately, and would rather die than cause harm to those he loves. However, we can use that with Mother Nature. She can convince him to fight if we are all careful.”

“You speak like we are heading for a long and difficult war,” North spoke up, standing.

“I hope desperately that I am wrong, but it seems every path we could take in attempt to help Jack will lead to grave conflict. I must ask you all to prepare for war.”

“Against Jack?” Bunnymund stood up straighter. “He has the soul of a star. The energy and imagination of a child. The experience of a seasoned soldier and general. He’s been working with forces of darkness for months now. How could we ever win against him?” As the last of his kind, he knew all too well what darkness could do hosted by a powerful cosmic being. The Man in the Moon seemed to deflate a little.

“He’s not just a star. He’s the strongest, densest star in the universe. He is the ultimate child, thinking and creating in unison to fulfill his dreams instantly. He has seen war and knows the best strategies. And his emotions run deep and fuel his powers. But he also knows mercy, love, and light. We must stoke that fire, encourage his growth, and help him fight the darkness within. We must convince him that we are with him, not against him. Otherwise, there is only one way to defeat a creature that has lived so long and experienced so much.” Now everyone seemed to shrink a little. Jack Frost was not just another life hanging in the balance of the war between dark and light. He was possibly the most powerful creature in existence after absorbing millennia of energy and experience, and beyond that, he was a friend. After another long silence, The Man in the Moon spoke again. “First, just continue as normal. You can stay together, or you can return to your homes. I must approach Jack Frost alone before we make any moves. Do I have your word you will not reach out to him?” The Guardians looked around at each other and agreed.

“What if he reaches out to us?” North asked.

“I would be surprised if he did, but if that happens, trust yourselves to interact appropriately. We are all friends, first and foremost. So be his friend. Not his parent, not his enemy. Give him the attention and respect he deserves. Work towards forgiveness. I grow weary. I will return home. I will speak with you all again once I have made contact with Jack. Goodbye, friends.” He started to glow again, turning back into a bright moonbeam. As the Guardians parted and discussed plans and questions, a few fearlings scattered back into the tunnels to report back to their new master.

Jack was busy sparring with Kozmotis, but he listened as the fearlings shared what they had seen and heard. Kozmotis disarmed him and won the round during the distraction, and Jack kept the information to himself and accepted defeat. So, MiM finally wanted to speak directly to him, Jack thought. He wasn’t worth a single word for hundreds of years, but now that he had this new power, now that he was a _threat…_ Now, he was worth MiM’s time. He smirked to himself at the thought and fed some irritation into the next round, meeting Kozmotis’ longsword with his dagger with surprising ease.

“Told you I needed a dagger.”

“And I told you I would disarm you,” the general bit back, enjoying the equal match. Jack had a spark in his eyes as he floated up and kissed Kozmotis gently. He licked at the general’s lips and suddenly kicked the sword from his hand. He placed his dagger at the general’s throat. “You used magic, and you’re fighting dirty.” Kozmotis smirked, raising his hands in surrender.

“Maybe we should take off some of the rules, see what we can both really do.”

“Very well,” Kozmotis agreed as Jack backed away and tossed his dagger up a few times. Koz picked up his sword. “No more rules.” Jack’s irises glowed ice blue on black, looking nearly demonic.

“It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt,” he said with a wide grin as he charged at Kozmotis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally see the Man in the Moon!  
> Backstory (possible spoilers): https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Moon  
> Canon guardian profiles and pictures: http://www.theguardiansofchildhoodbooks.com/meettheguardians.php  
> What do you think will happen next?


	53. Remorse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! I hope everyone up in the Northeast has been enjoying the crazy snow! I just want to thank all my amazing readers for the umpteenth time- every time I see the hits and kudos climbing, I am just so grateful!!! I'm so happy to share this story with you all!   
> So, let's see what happens when Jack gets hungry again...

**Ch. 53- Remorse**

It was only two days before Jack started to feel desperately hungry again. When he felt the hollow pain return and the voices grow louder again, it caught him off-guard. He understood now why Pitch had to feed so often. It was a maddening feeling, both dominating and humbling, sharp and empty. The void sank deep into his core in its aggressive search for sustenance. He felt like crawling, like his legs couldn’t support him. That second day, Jack relied heavily on shadow travel, and he was getting much better at it. Kozmotis noticed the shift immediately in Jack’s demeanor and behavior. He fought more violently in training, not drawing back from any strikes. He argued bitterly and threw out childish insults and accusations. Worst of all, he lost his glow. He was like an old marble statue, dim and cracking with age. Mid-conversation one afternoon, Jack just wandered off.

“- but I was hoping at the end of story, there would be some kind of redeeming factor for the main antagonist, and- Jack?” Kozmotis watched him just turn and leave the library. “Rude.” He watched the fearlings flow after Jack like a rushing stream of darkness with little beady eyes poking up here and there. He followed. Jack looked back at him after a moment and hissed, hunched over. He slid up to Kozmotis, sniffing all over him, searching for fear but not finding any. His eyes were foggy for a moment then they cleared, and he went limp. Kozmotis caught him.

“What… I’m sorry…” He rubbed his head, feeling strange.

“You’re hungry.” Kozmotis said. Jack hadn’t realized it but hearing it out loud drove the feeling and doubled the hollow pain. Jack swallowed tensely. He didn’t want to feed off children’s fear. He didn’t want them to be terrified of Jack Frost, Bringer of Winter. He just wanted them to have fun, but the fearlings were demanding and loud and hurtful. He covered his ears, cringing, even though he knew it didn’t help. It pained Kozmotis to watch him suffer. “Let me do for you what you did for me,” he said quietly. “Use my fear.” Jack looked up as Kozmotis took his hands.

“But you’re not afraid of me.” Kozmotis dropped his eyes.

“Make me afraid,” he urged. “Look into my heart. Find my fears. You weren’t afraid of me as Pitch Black, either. I had to search out your deepest fears each time.” Jack’s brow furrowed. Logically, he thought, it was only fair. And it was far better than going after children.

“You’re okay with this?”

“I want to help you, Jack,” he repeated for what must have been the hundredth time that week. He pulled up a chair and sat down. “You already know what I’m afraid of. The darkness tells you.” Jack nodded a little and walked a circle around Kozmotis, unintentionally stalking his prey. Kozmotis held back a teasing laugh at the behavior, knowing if he ruffled Jack’s feathers, he could become dangerous. Jack was nervous, but as soon as he accepted his desire, he found it too easy to plunge into the other’s mind. Kozmotis clutched the arms of his chair and then succumbed as he dipped into a nightmare with Jack at the controls. Jack held nothing back, tearing across his mind.

He heard voices that weren’t his nor the fearlings’, and he saw memories that weren’t his own. Kozmotis offered up his fears like a sacrifice, showing Jack memories from when he’d been beaten in battle. Both as Kozmotis and as Pitch, he’d lost men. Good men. He feared their loss, and he feared the disappointment and sadness of their families. Jack was not satisfied with this, though. He didn’t want the depression and remorse of a veteran. He wanted bone-chilling, soul-crushing fear. He knew it was there. He could feel it. Kozmotis feared loss and heartbreak, but Jack knew there had to be more. He dug deeper into his memories until he realized with the fearlings’ whispering help that one of Kozmotis’ worst fears wasn’t something he had experienced himself. The ancient fearlings fed Jack the memory of Lady Pitchiner running defenseless through their castle. Kozmotis tensed up again, his face wrinkling with concern as Jack forced him into the foreign memory.

Lady Pitchiner carried a bright light spell with her, keeping her safe from the darkness that chased after her. She had checked every room for Emily Jane, more afraid for her daughter’s life than her own. She screamed her husband’s name, quickly realizing he wasn’t coming and why. The fearlings showed her what had happened, laughing all the while, and then they chased her up a tall tower of the castle. Unable to find Emily Jane, she grabbed a doll for comfort in her final moments, and to trick the coming onslaught of fearlings. Kozmotis struggled as he watched, but Jack was more powerful and kept him down easily, holding his mind’s eye open. Lady Pitchiner threw herself from the window to avoid the dark possession Kozmotis had fallen prey to, and the fearlings licked at her lingering terror as she disappeared silently into the night. Kozmotis renewed his efforts, his body glowing gold as he fought Jack’s presence and the darkness eating away at him. Fear turned to rage suddenly and Kozmotis tried to fight his way through the fearlings in his memories. He summoned a long, golden sword and slashed away at them. Jack was still hungry. He floated over Kozmotis and then tackled him from behind. He got a devilish idea and started casting sharp spikes of ice at Kozmotis. The general kicked him in the stomach and knocked him off to the side.

“Aw, did I upset you? Did you not know how she died?” Jack asked, his voice hissing and mocking. Kozmotis came at him with a fast overhead strike, and Jack didn’t dodge. He took the blow, his head rolling away to the side with a frozen smile. Kozmotis watched as Jack’s body went limp and bluish blood dripped from his neck.

“No… no, Jack! Jack!” He dropped the sword, hands shaking, repulsed by his actions. “No, I didn’t- I… no!” Fearlings rose behind Kozmotis, angered by the death of their new alpha. They whispered at each other, agreeing that it would be best to make him Pitch Black once more, but also that they would spend the rest of eternity reminding him of this- of how his choices led to the deaths of everyone he ever loved, every time, and how darkness was the only place for him. Kozmotis didn’t move as the fearlings circled him, biting away painfully at his remorse. He accepted his fate, and then he opened his eyes. Jack stood in front of him, panting with effort, eyes and skin glowing.

“Wow… I feel so good! I feel like I could bench-press a mountain!” He flew around the room, shadowy cloak fluttering behind him. Kozmotis released the arms of the chair slowly as he came to and remembered where he was. Jack stopped slowly, hovering over Kozmotis, and met his eyes. “Koz?” His eyes were dead and distant, and everything about him was tense, like he would lash out any second. He stared through Jack, coming to terms with how his wife had died. Jack frowned. “Hey. It wasn’t real. It’s over now.” He snapped in his face. Kozmotis finally glanced up at him.

“How could you…?”

“What? You told me to feed off your fears. That’s what I found,” Jack said. “I didn’t decide your fears.”

“No, but you certainly didn’t control yourself!” Kozmotis rose from the chair, and Jack hovered back, surprised by his anger.

“How was I supposed to? I don’t know how to control it yet… and I’ve never been in your mind before! You think I made that nightmare on purpose?” Jack backed away more, clutching his staff close to his chest.

“It certainly felt like it,” Kozmotis glared at him. “Those weren’t even my memories! I tried to offer you my fears.”

“Yeah, and they were boring,” Jack scoffed. “I can’t deny the thousands of voices telling me what to do! I just let them go!”

“So, you admit you could have shown some self-control, but you chose not to? That’s lazy, Jack! And dangerous!”

“What! You’re putting this on me? I don’t know how to control it! I didn’t know they weren’t your memories! I thought that’s how nightmares worked!” He rose his voice as Kozmotis did, and Kozmotis realized he needed to calm them both down.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you with my mind… I forget how childish and impulsive you can be,” he growled, turning his back on Jack. The sprite was confused and felt betrayed.

“That again, huh? What, am I too young for you now? Pining over your dead wife,” he muttered. Kozmotis whirled back, enraged, but Jack kept digging. “I didn’t ask you to help me! You’re just angry I used your wife’s memory! Are you, what, are you not over her? Am I not good enough! Some stupid, selfish little fanboy you dragged along because it was convenient at the time! And now you remember how good you had it, now- now what, you want her back?”

“Watch your words, Jack. Don’t say something you’ll regret,” Kozmotis said. “Don’t come at me with something as foolish as jealousy. The fearlings brought it up because they knew it would upset me. You let them.”

“I didn’t let anything happen! That implies I knew what I was doing! And- and I’m not jealous! She’s dead!” Jack shouted, dark shadows like spikes pulsing around him and shooting out of the floor. Kozmotis felt her loss deeply, and for the first time, he realized. She had died when he was Pitch Black. He had never truly mourned her. Now, all of that emotion was rushing back and weighing him down, and Jack was too much for him right now. He couldn’t stay tolerant and patient when he felt like his heart was being ripped out, especially when Jack seemed to be mocking her death.

“Leave me.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, you kind of killed me in that nightmare! Do I not matter as much!”

“Leave, Jack! Get away from me!” Kozmotis shouted, golden rings of plasma like atomic orbits appearing around him. Jack felt threatened and made a portal.

“Fine. Don’t expect me back any time soon.” He flew through, and the darkness left with him. Kozmotis was alone, and the room was painfully silent. He held out a hand, feeling every atom that made up the chair he’d been sitting in. He closed his fist, crushing the chair down into a miniscule speck the same weight as the chair. He picked it up and flicked it, sending it whizzing around the room and crashing into the walls. He stood in the middle of the room, ignoring the little marble of dense matter as it picked up speed and momentum. It shot around the room like a ricocheting bullet. Jack didn’t understand that if Kozmotis truly lost his temper, the entire planet was in danger, and if Jack lost his temper, the entire galaxy. He couldn’t risk their conflict. Sending Jack away had been the best option. They could fix this with time and calm words, but right now, Kozmotis had no calm words. He had only deep grief and remorse. He hoped Jack would be understanding when they reconciled.

He’d had many things he wanted to say, but they would all have hurt Jack more. He never wanted to watch his wife die again, but he felt like he knew why Jack had gone to that memory. They loved each other, and the knowledge that Kozmotis had loved and lost before must weigh on the younger spirit. He knew Jack had never loved before him, not like this. He had loved Tsar Lunar like a little brother. He had loved Katherine as a close and dear friend. He loved the Guardians like family. But Jack had never been in love like this and sharing in firsts was not something they could do together.

Jack rose over the town of Hawthorne and brushed some clouds away with a sweep of his staff and a soft breeze. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He had hurt Kozmotis. That argument was not how they truly felt about each other. They just needed time, he thought. Jack looked up at the sky and saw the moon had already risen. He leapt over rooftops, tapping frost here and there absentmindedly as he went to the water tower. He stood on top of it and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Fearlings gathered in the shadows around him as he gazed over at the moon. “So, you finally want to talk to me?” He started, impatiently expecting an answer. The Man in the Moon was too tired from his last trip down to see Jack so soon, though. Being on Earth and fighting the gravitational pull cost him a lot of energy. Jack frowned. “Oh, I see, you want to talk when it’s convenient for _you._ ”

Lilac crept forward, not as affected by the light as the others, and she climbed up his leg and back and perched on his shoulder. She whispered in his ear. “They tell me,” Jack said after listening to her, “that you told the Guardians to prepare for war.” He waited for an answer again. A response. A word. A shimmer. Anything. “I have no intention of fighting anyone,” Jack declared. “All I want is your trust. You chose me. Whether it was because of what I’ve done for you in the past or because of the choices I made as a human, you chose me. I need you to stand by that decision and trust me. I will make you this promise right now: if it comes to war of any kind, I will not be the one to strike first.” Jack waited again, his ears straining to listen for a hint of any kind of response from the Man in the Moon. He huffed, disappointed, and floated down from the water tower. Pipes froze solid under the street below him, and the clouds returned, thick and dark. MiM could no longer see him. He rested, observing, wishing he could speak to Jack but knowing he wasn’t strong enough to yet. He would need all the energy he could gather to converse with Jack on Earth, but he was already starting to worry that he’d missed his chance.

Jack wandered into the woods, striking ice and frost up trees that hadn’t fully gone to sleep for the winter yet. He found himself back at the treehouse just outside of town. It was far too cold for children to come play here now, so it didn’t look much different from the last time he’d been there. He flopped onto a beanbag and used shadows to bring himself items from around the treehouse. He glanced with disgust at the dirty magazines and pictures hidden under various comic books and card games. He wondered where the line was between a child and an adult. Was it age, like the humans’ laws said? Was it biology, how humans hit puberty and their desires changed? Or was it something deeper and more basal? Was adulthood, Jack wondered, perhaps decided by each person individually, like how Jamie had chosen to forget the magic standing right in front of him? What if there was a way to convince children to believe for longer? To stay children, having fun and being carefree, for longer? Children seemed to be losing belief at younger and younger ages. Hope withered with the dread of adulthood and responsibilities, and wonder shriveled under disappointment when the wrong gifts came or Toothiana missed a delivery. But fun- everyone could have fun. Fun made you forget your fears, like when Jack took Jamie on his sled joyride through traffic. Fun distracted you from worries and filled that empty hole inside of you left behind by discontent. Disenchantment could be replaced with enchantment. Fun was the answer to everything, Jack thought. He gazed out the window of the treehouse, and Lilac hopped up on the sill next to him.

_Fear_

_Unlike_

_Nightmare?_ She asked.

“Yeah. Yeah,” Jack nodded. “We’re gonna… have a little fun… instead,” he said, a slow grin forming. He scooped her up and took off into the sky, headed for an old place to start a new secret getaway for children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Jack have the answer to balancing light and darkness? Guess we'll see~  
> Next chapter might be up sooner than Monday- with this next part of the story, get ready for fun, chaos, and dark overtones... (and a lot of music).


	54. Another Way Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting that extra chapter as promised- I know there's a lot of chaos going on right now!

**Ch. 54- Another Way Out**

Jack worked through the night and the next several days. His work kept him distracted from the growing hunger, and he kept the fearlings distracted, too. He had put them to work constructing his newest idea through a blend of man-made materials and magic. On the fourth day, his hunger drove him to complete his project and test it out. He was a little disappointed he missed the chance to start on New Year’s Eve, but he figured it would be grand regardless.

Kozmotis had started to worry on day two of Jack’s absence, but he was also concerned if he went after Jack, he might not be ready to talk. With the darkness guiding his actions, Jack had to be dealt with carefully and gently. It would not do well to start conflict. Kozmotis decided he would wait three more days for Jack to return. Day three was slow, and day four was torture. He paced the main hall, trying to decide if he should really wait until day five to go looking for Jack. Midnight between the fourth and fifth day of Jack’s absence from Nightfall, Jack set his plan into action.

Somewhere between a golden sand dream and restful deep sleep, a child woke. She was eleven years old and had already lost most of her baby teeth. A couple molars held on strong in the back. She shivered and pulled her blankets tighter around her, wakened by a cold breeze. She noticed her window was open and crept out of bed to close it. She wore an oversized Linkin Park T-shirt, a hand-me-down from her older brother, and her gymnastics shorts underneath. Her pink jellyfish nightlight gave a soft glow, guiding her feet as she went to the window and locked it shut again. She trembled with exhaustion and cold as she turned to go back to her bed, but suddenly, her pink light was gone. The nightlight was plugged in, but it had fallen dark. Something zipped around her room in the corner of her eye. It was black. No, glowing blue. No, black?

The girl whirled around, trying to catch the shadow, and grabbed her flashlight from her desk. It wouldn’t turn on. She squealed quietly as something snagged her ankle, and she dropped to the floor, trying to chase whatever it was. It scurried under her bed. She kept the flashlight more for comfort since it wouldn’t turn on and peered under the bed. Normally, the space was filled with containers of shoes, summer clothes, and old toys. Now, it was empty, and she didn’t understand why. Confused, she reached blindly under the bed. She didn’t have time to scream when a thin-fingered hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her under. She tumbled through a pitch-black hole, feeling cold wind whip past her, and she rolled into… a pile of snow? She sat up slowly, brushing her hair back, and thought perhaps she was dreaming. Then, she heard the sweetest music she’d ever heard in her life. She couldn’t pinpoint the instrument. It sounded like synth and like a woodwind, echoing strangely around her. Then, she heard a deep, gentle voice singing as the soft music continued.

“Come to my garden… come play with me. Come to my garden…” She stood as though entranced by the sound. “Come stay with me…” Her footsteps echoed lightly as she walked through a glowing tunnel. The walls seemed to be made of frosted glass, with gentle blue lights behind them. She flinched as she touched the wall and found it was made of ice. “Here in the land of enchantment we’ll be… here in my garden. Of magic.”

All around the Northeast within a five-hundred-kilometer radius of Central Park, children were experiencing the same thing. Cold and shadows woke them, and they were pulled either under their beds or into their closets. The same enchanting, ominous song played on instruments of ice, unseen in the darkness. The melody guided them down the tunnels, some to slippery ice slides, all glowing dimly in the darkness and leading to an underground location. The closer the children got, the louder the music became. “Fear not… fear not… Come to my garden. Feel… and stay with me.” Jack watched through the eyes of the fearlings as children gathered in a massive, open square room with magically lit tiles of blue, purple, cool white, and black. He stood in the back of the room, unseen behind shadow and standing on black ice. He let the song grow stronger, vibrating through channels of ice running through the walls and out through carefully constructed vents that amplified the sound. The music reverberating through the room resonated with a hypnotizing vibration that kept the children entranced and calm, even as the demonic fearlings pranced around at their feet and gathered them together. “Here in the land of enchantment we’ll be…” Jack’s own voice echoed through the tunnels, though he had sung the lines a long time ago and was using his power over the wind and ice to keep the sounds flowing. “Come play with me. Come play with me. Have no fear. Take my hand. Here in the deep… you’re home with me.” Jack’s singular drop of nervousness was easily swallowed in a tidal wave of hunger and anticipation. He stepped forward and the music stopped. The lower half of his stage started to glow deep blue, drawing the eyes of the children he’d lured. A buzz of worried, fearful whispers started to rise as the children wondered where they were and what was going on. Most still believed they were in a dream of their own. Jack threw his arms out to the sides, splaying his glowing, ombre cloak. The up-lighting gave him a regal but ominous look. Most of the children couldn’t see him, but they could see the glow of the stage, and they could hear when he started talking. He twirled Twiner and tilted it towards his mouth, the tip fashioned into a faux microphone of ice.

“Welcome to the grand opening of the greatest club you’ll ever see. Here, the age limit is down, the music is up, and we’re all here to have _fun_.” He swept an arm out, dipping fully into his flair for the dramatic as he cast thin, sparkling clouds across the ceiling of the large room. White and blue glowing snowflakes drifted down onto the children below. “Anything fun you can think of, we can provide. Any song, any toy, any snack. There are no parents, no one to tell you what to do or when to go to bed!” Jack laughed. As the flakes dusted curious faces, more children could see Jack walking slowly down the center steps of the stage. “I have one rule. Have fun.” Jack had rooms branching off from the main club, but he wanted to let the kids explore on their own. He felt his ice powers surging as he gained the belief of the kids in the room, but the darkness demanded nourishment, too. He took a deep breath, mentally telling the fearlings to be patient. He used a gust of wind to blow himself back on stage, going to a large and expensive DJ booth he’d set up with the fearlings’ help. Everything was surrounded by enchanted ice and reverberating tunnels. He spoke into a real microphone at the DJ booth, his voice booming across the entire club floor. “Welcome, everyone to Club Blackjack. I’m Jack Frost, and here’s our opening song for the night-” He started his playlist, full of dark and fun electric and rock beats, kicked off with “Another Way Out” by Hollywood Undead. He thought he was being awfully clever using that song and had decided he would open every night with it as a subtle warning to the children who came.

The kids in the club gasped as the music started up fast and strong, and the ice coating the walls glowed in beautiful shades of blue and purple in time with the beat. Some kids started to figure out quickly that the ice would make whatever they thought of. Jack had spent a lot of time enchanting the ice in the various rooms. The ice and the fearlings would bring whatever the kids could ask for, as long as it was “fun.” Tables of snacks and drinks appeared on one side. A merry-go-round appeared in the center of the room, and Jack laughed at the kids’ creativity. He put on his headset, putting off his hunger by bathing in the wonder and delight of the children experiencing their own control over magic. Now that the party started, Jack thought, it would never end. Nighttime didn’t end, it just moved across the globe. As these kids tired, he would have the fearlings send them home, and he would send them to the next time zone to collect more. He had playlists and spells in place to adjust for language barriers, and he had fearlings everywhere to keep an eye on the children. He had no intention of hurting anyone or letting anyone get hurt, but he did plan on letting the kids do basically whatever they wanted. If that happened to be inappropriate things, so be it. He wasn’t there to parent them. He was there to be a source of fun. He scrolled into the next song, a pumped-up Panic! At the Disco hit, and he looked out at the growing crowd of children. The fearlings’ radius was increasing slowly, and it would increase more once he fed. He was only a few hours away from being able to feast on some delicious nightmares, and best of all, the children would hardly remember it. They would remember the club, the fun, the music, Jack thought, and the nightmares he got to feed on would be specks of dust in their memory. They wouldn’t fear him. They would love him and the freedom he provided.

“Whoa!” A girl in the back had gotten the ice to give her dragon wings that actually worked, and she started flying around the club, twirling and spinning. Jack laughed and flew up to join her.

“You’re a natural!” He said over the music. The nightclub was three floors deep, with the main floor being the largest. Several small rooms split off from the main dancefloor, empty for now. Jack assumed as kids found the rooms, each would become something different. Maybe an arcade, maybe a lounge, maybe a videogame hub. The two lower floors were for the fearlings, though. On the middle floor, the ones he’d sent to collect children could rest. If children wandered into the second floor, they would quickly become nightmare fodder and get sent back home. On the bottom floor, Jack kept the void at the bay. He’d managed to get the void to agree to be locked away on the promise he kept it regularly fed. Or, at least, it seemed to agree.

He had summoned the void with a single thought. A massive, black, writhing mass of nothingness, it was terrifying even to its own host. He had shared his ideas for the club through his thoughts and requested that the void lend him power and stay down below. The void had simply slunk into the ground and appeared in the room Jack had made for it. He had closed the door very slowly, nervous with how easily the void had put itself away, and locked it up so kids couldn’t wander in easily. Now, all he had to do was upkeep his side of the deal and keep the void fed.

Several hours into the party, some of the kids were already started to fatigue and drop out. A couple had wandered into the spare rooms, conjuring beanbags and racecar beds to sleep on. Jack followed them in with a crowd of hungry fearlings and let the darkness guide his actions. He whispered nightmares into their minds, entertained by the silly things the kids were afraid of. One was chased by a zombie on ice skates, while another dreamed up a killer dolphin. These nightmares weren’t like Pitch’s, though. They weren’t infected black sand. These used Jack’s ability to stir up emotions, and the nightmares were simply twisted versions of what the kids thought was fun. The little girl in the Linkin Park shirt loved to swim, and her nightmare was that her snorkel stuck to her face. When she yanked it off, her face went with it. Jack laughed as he watched their nightmares from the middle of the room, entertained by their ridiculous fears. It was far more enjoyable than watching cosmic beings lose everything they loved.

As Jack had the fearlings take the exhausted children back to their respective rooms, his mind drifted to Kozmotis. He wanted to share this with him. It was fun, yes, but he wanted someone to share it with. His heart ached for Kozmotis as the darkness was satisfied with nightmares and silly fears. He fantasized that Kozmotis would be proud of him and his creativity, but he also worried that he wouldn’t approve. The Guardians had never done something this direct with the children of the world, and he knew it teetered on unacceptable. But Jack couldn’t help feeling happy with himself. The kids were having fun. He had multiple fail-safes in place to make sure no one got hurt. And he felt good. He felt believed in. All he was missing was his lover to drink it all in with him. Perhaps this wasn’t the solution he’d hoped for, but it was certainly a good one, he thought.

While nighttime spread across the Atlantic Ocean and the number of children in the club dwindled, Jack took a break to find Kozmotis. He took a portal to Nightfall and got ready for a heavy conversation of apologies and tears. He found the General pacing in the main hall, a few glowing bands of golden plasma rotating around him. Jack watched from the shadows for a bit, admiring his power and glowing aura. He sent a fearling out across the walls, flattened into shadow, and it drew Kozmotis’ gaze. He went on the offensive, drawing his sword, and Jack snuck up behind him, hugging him around the neck. Kozmotis gasped and then relaxed when he felt the cold cheek against his neck.

“Jack,” he said with a breath of relief.

“Let’s talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is slowly becoming a song-fic, so I've included links to the music referenced in this chapter for your optional listening pleasure:  
> "Lure" by Christian Reindl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xep1XPo95vM  
> "Another Way Out" by Hollywood Undead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV5m7KvWUj0
> 
> On a side note... Jack and I both are avid Pokémon Go players, and we're always looking for new friends. Feel free to drop me a message or a comment if you want to hook up over GroupMe for potential best friending/trading/battling, and our friend codes are below:
> 
> Xinria Rouge - Team Valor - 8292 2596 2917  
> Jack (Guard1an of Fun) - Team Instinct - 0069 1698 5318
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and I'll post the next update on Monday!


	55. The Tour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday! Are you excited to see if the star-crossed lovers make up?

**Ch. 55- The Tour**

Jack floated around to face Kozmotis and landed in front of him, staff tucked behind his back. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find words. Kozmotis used the pause, and they spoke at the same time:

“I’m sorry.” They each blinked at each other and smiled bashfully.

“You go first,” Kozmotis said. Jack wanted to be level with him and floated up on a soft gust of wind.

“I am sincerely sorry for what I did to you,” he said slowly. “I never should have gone after those memories. I can’t sit on excuses when I’m the one who did this to myself. I went against your wishes, multiple times, and I technically stole your powers… and your title… and… I’ve felt like shit ever since I left. I probably was a little jealous… and I just let everything get to me. I’m sorry.” He swallowed tensely, trying not to let himself get teary-eyed. Kozmotis’ face didn’t change. He had a small, gentle smile and concern set deep in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, too,” he said quietly. “I offered myself to you. It’s not your fault. You did exactly what I told you to do, and you did it well. You excel at everything you do. I should have prepared better, especially since I know most intimately how it feels to be commanded by darkness.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I will forgive you, if you promise me never to touch those memories again. Let us leave those parts of the past where they belong, out of respect.” Jack nodded.

“I promise.” He leaned forward slowly, and Kozmotis caught him in a tight hug. “I missed you… I was afraid to come back. Thought maybe you wouldn’t be here. That you might still be mad at me.”

“I told you I wouldn’t leave you,” Kozmotis whispered in his ear, holding him tighter. “I know how much you hate to be alone.” Jack hid a small sniffle in his shoulder. “And I’m here if you need to feed,” he said with firm dedication.

“Actually… I’m good,” Jack said, leaning back. “I… The other reason I’m back is… I found a good use for darkness,” he started with a growing smile. Kozmotis looked him up and down, noticing that Jack must have fed recently. He had his usual glow, and the darkness was calm around him.

“Is that so?” He was skeptical. “It’s been five days. How did you sustain yourself?”

“Let me show you,” Jack said, casting a portal. Loud music thumped through it. “Trust me,” he urged. Kozmotis couldn’t hide his concern, but he followed Jack through the portal anyway. They walked in on a crowd about half the size Jack had when he left.

“What… are we in a club?” Kozmotis asked loudly over the music.

“Yes! My club!” Jack floated up. Kozmotis looked around at the kids of various ages running around the dancefloor. Some had elaborate toys made of ice, several were playing a complicated version of hopscotch, and most were dancing to the upbeat music. “Club Blackjack. Let me give you the tour!” Jack pulled on Kozmotis’ arm and showed him around, explaining his plan and the spells he’d put in place. One of the spare rooms had turned into a bathroom, and another had turned into a huge sandbox of powder snow with sand-shaping toys. “Careful not to get too cold,” he told the kids, using a portal to find them some blankets.

“Thanks, Jack!” Kozmotis was shocked speechless as he followed Jack around. None of the children could see him, and several went running through him.

“I have the fearlings rest on this floor between retrievals and returns.” He led Kozmotis down a longer staircase to the bottom floor. “And I convinced the void to stay down here. I keep it locked up, like you did, because I figured even without Emily, you had good reason to do that. So, what do you think?” Kozmotis still wasn’t ready to talk.

“It’s… a lot,” he started carefully. “It’s certainly not what I thought you were doing these past few days. Jack, can we… I just want to know how you’re feeling.” He placed his hands on Jack’s shoulders.

“You don’t look happy,” Jack muttered. “I figured you wouldn’t be…”

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. Are you happy? Does this make you happy?”

“Yeah,” Jack said, nodding. “They’re having fun. I made sure they were safe. I made sure they had everything they wanted-”

“We’re talking about you,” he repeated firmly. “Think back a couple months. What were the terms of our deal?”

“That you would use my fear while I found a purpose for it.”

“My condition was you would let me feed whenever I needed it, and yours was that I could not feed on children.”

“That was different. I’m using a mix of fun and fear to give kids the outlet they need. An escape from stress. A safe place to explore their limits and their fears.” Kozmotis knew Jack would not easily be convinced that what he was doing was wrong, and honestly, he couldn’t defend that point at the moment. Aside from the obvious, like kidnapping and coercion, Jack wasn’t actually doing anything strictly _wrong._

“Are _you_ happy?” He asked again. “Is this what you want?” Jack didn’t know why Kozmotis was repeating himself, but it gave him pause. He reflected for a moment, reaching into his center to answer the question. As long as the kids were safe and having fun, he was happy. As long as Kozmotis was here, he was happy. He felt powerful, believed in, and loved.

“I am happy,” he whispered. “I can’t separate how I feel from everyone around me. I’m happy because they’re happy. I’m happy because you’re here. I love this. An eternal party, a safe way to feed the darkness, and a way to teach kids the good bits about fear. Fear offers protection. Darkness offers a hiding place. Fun brings it all together. I’m happy, but only if they’re happy, and only if you’re happy,” he said. “So… your turn.” Kozmotis had a pained smile.

“I don’t fully understand, but I want you to be happy. I’m concerned because some of this doesn’t seem like you. It seems like the opposite of what you wanted, but I know a lot has happened, and you have every right to change your mind. Just, don’t change your values. If you say this is safe, then I trust you. If you say you’re happy, I believe you.” Jack beamed brightly and hugged him. Kozmotis wrapped his arms around Jack, wary of the beady eyes watching them from the shadows. “Oh. I went ahead and retrieved that diamond from the pool. I placed it in here so North can’t use it.” Kozmotis pulled a black pouch from his robes and held it out. Jack took it carefully, frowning.

“Still can’t believe he spied on me…,” Jack scoffed. “You hang onto it. I don’t want to think about it.” He gave it back. Jack walked down a hall to the last room in the club. He had made his own version of the globe of lights each Guardian had, only his was made of ice, and each child’s light glowed whitish blue. A thick, dark streak ran across the globe. “This tracks the children of the world and nighttime. Right now, nighttime is darkest over the east side of the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve got some time before the fearlings retrieve the second wave. Let’s get some air.” Kozmotis followed him through another portal, walking out into daylight. Jack stayed under the shade of his tree. To anyone who did not believe in magic, the tree looked normal, but to Jack and Kozmotis, the whole trunk of the tree was an elaborately decorated wooden door with an eerie blue glow showing around its edges.

“What’s your end goal?” Kozmotis asked. “All this, for what? Is this your version of what the other Guardians do? Exercising your powers to bribe children into belief?”

“I don’t want to see it that way,” Jack said, putting the staff across his shoulders and hanging his arms on it, “but I guess you’re not totally wrong. Unlike them though, I’m not giving up my face time with the kids,” he added quickly, pointing. “I like being around them, seeing how creative they get. And now, I can help them face their fears, too.” Kozmotis drew closer to Jack.

“I still think modern music is trash,” he said in very serious voice. Jack laughed.

“Well, I can’t play opera in a club!” Jack noticed there was still something off about Kozmotis. He carried a tense air with him. “You’re not telling me everything,” he pointed out.

“I’m… conflicted. It seems too easy,” Kozmotis said slowly. Jack grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“You’re just jealous I got the darkness to obey me. I told you I could handle this.”

“You’re getting lucky. Over and over again, things are working out for you, and you will not be prepared when something stands in your way. Have you thought of _everything,_ Jack? Have you thought of consequences? How the humans will react when they learn what’s going on here? These children will have parents who notice their absence. Authorities will notice sudden crowds of children disappearing into a tree in Central Park. You didn’t exactly pick a subtle location. Your Pied Piper act is impulsive, and I don’t see it working for very long. And I’m concerned… the Jack Frost I knew would never have been okay with feeding on children’s nightmares. I don’t want to upset you. I want to support you. But you’ve changed a lot, very quickly. I’ve got whiplash!” He scoffed. “Club Blackjack…” Jack took a deep breath. He kept down his anger, wanting Kozmotis to see things his way and knowing that would only happen if he explained everything in detail.

“I have thought of everything,” he said, keeping his tone blank and his voice quiet. “That’s why it took me almost a week to put this together. Most of their parents will see an illusion spell the fearlings leave behind, and I’ll be alerted to anyone who sees past it. I can send the kids home like that,” he snapped his fingers, summoning a dark portal and making it disappear just as fast. “Adults can’t see what’s happening here because they refuse to believe. And because I put age block spells up around the club. And I’m not worried about how many kids find out- I want them to show everyone!” Jack flipped the staff off his shoulders so he could talk more with his hands. “I want kids to learn about this! The older ones will bring their phones, take pictures and videos, post them all over the internet, and what’s amazing is that only the kids who believe will see what’s in the pictures and videos. And get this, humans are so crazy online that they’ll explain the magic away for me! There are already illusions and hoaxes everywhere, like- like this dress that’s blue and black or gold and white or whatever! So, the non-believers will just dismiss it as fake.” Kozmotis tried to keep up, but he didn’t really understand technology. “If the kids get too scared, I can send them home. If they start to really misbehave, like try to hurt each other, I can kick them out and erase their memory of the club.

“I put the voices to work,” Jack explained. “All those weeks training with you, getting to know your powers- I’m using every bit you taught me! I can see and hear through the fearlings. They’re like a security camera system, and the best part, I’m not haunted by their voices anymore. I’m keeping them busy. They enjoy being around the kids and causing mischief. They’ve actually become a lot more fun, even the old ones. And yes, it’s kind of weird that the void just kind of did what I asked, but I’ll take what I can get. As for the nightmares… I’m not causing just _any_ nightmare when the kids fall asleep. I’m pulling on silly fears, reckless fun. Things that won’t follow them into their waking life. Even better, some kids actually like to be scared. The ones who go watch horror or thriller movies, the ones who play gory videogames with jump-scares. I can feed off their fear and it’s a mutual benefit! They think it’s fun! They get a rush from being scared!” He said, getting excited. “I found a way to make darkness work. Please, please, Koz, just trust me. This is the answer.” Jack pleaded with him, his dark eyes big and wide. Kozmotis sighed.

“I guess I’m just old-fashioned,” he said with a parental smile.

“Why don’t you come back in with me? We can wait for the second wave together and you can watch my big opening act.” Kozmotis glanced at the door. He knew the Guardians wouldn’t like what Jack was doing, but he was growing exhausted playing devil’s advocate. For now, he could support Jack. He certainly made a good argument. Something still felt wrong, perhaps the idea of borderline kidnapping, but the intricacy of his plan and spells seemed secure. He followed Jack inside, happy enough just to see that Jack was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoyed!  
> RnR's are always read and appreciated!
> 
> See endnotes of Chapter 54 to add Jack and I as friends on Pokemon Go ;D


	56. Paying Attention

** Ch. 56- Paying Attention **

When they walked in, the E. T. remix by Katy Perry and Kanye West was playing. Kozmotis cringed at the noisy music, but the children seemed to be having fun.

“Jack, the lyrics to this are disgusting…”

“Are they? Come on,” he drawled like a teenager. “The kids don’t listen to the lyrics anyway. They’re just here to dance. Especially when the dancefloor is wide open!” He blew a gust of sparkling, cold wind, and leftover ice creations and toys were cleared from the floor. “Who wants to do a little dance contest!” Jack threw his hands up and it started snowing fun-flakes again. Jack let the kids fill the dancefloor as he glided up to the stage. Kozmotis rolled his eyes and drifted to the side to watch. He pointed to the speakers.

“This song is about sex,” Kozmotis mouthed. Jack leaned back laughing.

“Isn’t all music?” He said, twirling around his staff like a baby tree. The first chorus came on and Jack got a devilish grin. “I’ll show you it’s not about the lyrics,” he said. “You won’t even hear the rest of the song!” He said, taking off his cloak. He hung it on the staff, which stood in place.

“Right, right. Because she’s not comparing sex to alien abduction right now,” Kozmotis said, purposefully paying closer to attention to the words. Then, there was a sudden shift in the air. Kozmotis’ eyes followed as Jack’s hips tilted to the beat and rolled around with the singer’s vocals. He mouthed the words, leaning hard side to side on each beat. Some of the kids watched, but most were dancing on their own to the loud music. Jack split his focus between the stage and his lover, arcing and curving sensually over vocals, spreading his arms and snapping them back to keep those gold eyes on him. As the song lyrics stuttered, he shifted into jerking motions, showing off his flexibility and rhythm. The stage moved with him, creating sharp angles to the music and growing in hexagonal columns for him to walk across. Kozmotis was mesmerized as Jack popped, locked, and dropped on the stage, somehow walking the fine line between sexual and clean. As predicted, some of the older kids had pulled out phones to record. 

A young teen cleared a circle on the dancefloor and pointed at Jack, calling him out. Jack caught the challenge and jumped down to dance with him. The floor lit up everywhere he stepped. The teen did a loose version of the robot and passed the dance to Jack, who caught the movements and kept it going. As he passed the dance back, he grabbed a few fearlings with his puppet string magic and made them dance along. He made them copy everything the teen did, and then he got an idea and ran behind the other. He imagined tying the magic strings to the teen, and the fearlings started following along without Jack’s control. Jack laughed as he slipped away from the dance circle and the fearlings danced backup obediently.

He made his way across the dancefloor, sliding between kids who were dancing or conjuring up new toys from the ice. Kozmotis shifted, feeling a strange string of nervousness as he met Jack’s dark gaze. The way he walked was a dance in itself, and Jack was right, he had completely lost track of the lyrics even though Jack was mouthing them with those thin… icy… pink little lips… looking up with dusky, black, glowing eyes through his frosty bangs, and then Jack was close enough he could see down the front of his hoodie to the lithe, lean form rocking hips back and forth and back and forth to the beat. Jack pressed Kozmotis into the wall and ground against him, disguising his motions from wandering eyes with a few well-timed waves of shadow passing around them both. Jack rolled his shoulders, watching as Kozmotis followed every move he made. He leaned up to the other’s ear.

“Kiss me, k-k-kiss me…,” he whispered. While Kozmotis was distracted, he slowly froze his feet to the floor. “Take me, ta-ta-take me!” He leaned back, exposing his neck the way he knew Kozmotis liked, and then he pressed off his chest and did a backflip back to the stage, landing in a split. Kozmotis smirked, ready to go claim his plunder, and he nearly fell over as he tried to take a step. His legs were locked in ice from the knee down.

“What…” He looked up at Jack, who was back to his feet and cackling like a madman. “Cheeky.” He cast a golden plasma whip and struck it out, the snap catching Jack’s attention.

“Kinky,” he smirked. He reached for his staff but didn’t make it in time before Kozmotis had him wrapped up in the whip with another quick snap. Kozmotis yanked him back, reeling in the plasma and dragging Jack back to him.

“Unfreeze me. Right now. So I can dance with you to this garbage you call music.”

“Yes sir,” Jack grinned, liking the glint in his partner’s eyes with the title. “Could have gotten out of it yourself,” he smirked as he made the ice disappear.

“So could you,” Kozmotis said, replacing the plasma with a firm arm wrapped around Jack.

“I guess we just have… a mutual respect…” Jack said, leaning up and nipping at his lip.

“Not around the kids now,” Kozmotis chuckled.

“They’re not paying attention. And they can’t see you, anyways.”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.” Kozmotis twirled Jack forcefully and then bent him down into a deep dip. Jack looked upside down at a dozen sparkling little pairs of eyes staring at both of them. “Children notice everything. That’s part of why their belief strengthens our powers.” He pulled Jack up slowly. Kozmotis looked around, just noticing the new song that was playing. “Is this French?”

“Yes! Oh, that means the second wave should be coming soon!”

“I thought I would be coming soon,” Kozmotis said with an incredibly regal version of a pout. Jack didn’t hear him over the music.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He straightened up. “Go on then, get to work. Seems like an awful lot of responsibility for someone who mocked the Guardians for having too much responsibility,” he teased.

“Owning a nightclub is not a responsibility. Hey! No biting!” Jack walked through a portal to snatch a fearling before it could bite a little girl who was trying to force-feed it cupcakes. Kozmotis chuckled and looked at one of the older fearlings who was shifting through the darkness beside him.

“I give it about a week before he gets tired of this and quits,” he muttered to the fearling who just hissed in response and melted into a dark spot on the wall. Just then, more children started appearing. Kozmotis recognized multiple accents and languages coming through, and Jack cast an illusion spell that replayed his opening just for the newcomers.

“It might play for you, too, since you weren’t here for the first round,” Jack warned him. Kozmotis blinked, seeing two of Jack on stage. One was being dramatic and introducing the club, and the other was working at the booth, setting up a few more songs on the queue.

“I have to admit, you’re taking this more seriously than anything else I’ve seen you do,” Kozmotis said, drawing up behind present-time Jack.

“Did you think I wasn’t serious?”

“No, I just… see it from my perspective. You spent centuries causing havoc. And before that, you were a flighty little spirit who didn’t commit to anything more than a friendship or a snowball fight. Forgive me if I’m wrong but… you didn’t really want to commit to anything after being Tsar Lunar’s sole guardian. You weren’t afraid of commitment, but you didn’t want to be tied down.” Jack reflected, following Kozmotis’ words.

“Well, maybe now I’m ready to settle.” Jack placed a hand on his chest and ran his fingers down a fold of fabric, looking up at him with playful admiration. Kozmotis placed his hand over Jack’s. Jack heard the opening song start, and his eyes lit up. “Oh, listen to this! I love this song! I decided I’m gonna use it to open the club for every wave!” Jack jumped and flew around the club, leaving Kozmotis at the booth. He raised a brow.

“I don’t know if I like you having a job,” he muttered to himself. “Some icy blue balls you’re leaving me with.”

“I can hear you!” Jack’s voice echoed around the club. Kozmotis turned to see a fearling sitting on Jack’s DJ stool with a fanged grin. He shook his head with a light smile.

“You’re happy, and the kids seem happy. That’s all that matters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post song links but I'm lazy this morning... The French song is "Comme Moi" by Black M with Shakira~ I had a lot of fun searching for foreign club music, and I'll have more songs for your Black Ice playlist as the chapters roll out! I wrote many of these later chapters to line up with the songs like a soundtrack, so try listening while you read!  
> Hope you enjoy~
> 
> Sneak peak/spoiler *** below ***
> 
> Jack and Kozmotis are about to get their first Guardian visitor to the club...


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I'm so sorry I forgot to post the holiday chapter!  
> Happy day-after Lunar New Year! May the Year of the Ox bring us all health, strength, and good fortune!
> 
> I've been battling my depression and anxiety again lately in a rather toxic environment so I'm extra sorry if my geeky fan-notes have been lacking for the last few chapters... Thank for 4500+ hits!!! I appreciate every tidbit of support <3 And thanks for the comments, too- I love reading your thoughts and guesses!
> 
> Okay, on with the story:

**Ch. 57- Toothless**

January 13th, Baby Tooth fell in for her weekly report as Overseer of the MiniFairies. Toothiana flitted over to take accountability and then Baby Tooth’s report. The little fairy with a striking gold feather on her head hovered in front of Toothiana and passed a chittering report of great concern. There was a reoccurring pattern of kids out of bed for extended periods of time around the world.

“Kids are out of bed late all the time,” Tooth tried to dismiss it. Baby Tooth kept explaining, and then she held up a tooth she personally collected. Toothiana took it carefully and gazed into the happy memory it contained.

The memory belonged to a young Indian girl. She followed a glowing, frost-covered fearling into her closet and slid down a magic, illuminated slide, laughing and screaming all the way. She landed in a pile of snow and took off running. She came to a black door with lit snowflake patterns all over, shimmering, and she threw it open. Black Eyed Peas music blasted, and she ran up to a group of other kids who recognized her. Kids were conjuring toys and costumes out of ice. Fearlings were dancing and skittering around between feet. Some kids had brought their phones, snacks, and drinks. Some had dressed up for the club. The girl greeted her friends and then ran up to the stage where Jack Frost was setting up the next country’s music queue. He wore black leather pants, a white and black button up, his white ombre cloak, and glowing shutter glasses of ice. She asked about karaoke, and he dropped everything to take her to a room other kids had already fashioned into a karaoke stage. Tooth pulled away from the memory.

“Jack…? What is he doing?” She asked, thinking aloud. She was in shock, and Baby Tooth could feel anger rising in her leader. “He’s changing their core childhood memories! He’s kidnapping them, bribing and luring them in! This is wrong! We can’t just show ourselves like that!” Baby Tooth buzzed around her head, trying to say things that would calm her down. “He can’t do this,” Tooth said firmly. Baby Tooth spoke again. “I don’t care what Man in the Moon said! I can’t let Jack do this! He’s obviously out of control, but he’s not beyond help. I have to go.” Baby Tooth asked if she knew where she was going. “Oh. Well.” Tooth flew over to her globe. “There’s a strange concentration of bluish lights here… I’ll start there,” she said, pointing to the New York area. “Keep the schedule. You’re in charge. I’ll be back.” Baby Tooth couldn’t get out another word before Toothiana packed a small shoulder bag and took off on what was sure to be a very long flight.

Jack followed the fearlings into a lounge room and sat down to soak in the sleeping children’s nightmares. One boy who liked hot air balloons was dreaming of flying one to the moon. Jack smirked as it turned into a nightmare where he was past the atmosphere and freezing and suffocating to death in space. Another was dreaming of being at the circus when a lion started to attack the crowd. Kozmotis paced in front of the lounge. He refused to enter when Jack was feeding. He didn’t agree with it, and he was trying to get Jack to attempt the other forms of feeding, but he didn’t seem too receptive. On the other hand, the nightmares the fearlings created under Jack’s control weren’t cruel. They were simple twists of things the children already liked. Harmless fun or recklessness, like Jack said. And some of the kids went willingly into the lounge to see the nightmares Jack and the fearlings would create. There was a group of kids from Arizona that had created a horror and thriller movie theater out of one of Club Blackjack’s side rooms, and it remained because plenty of other kids liked using it, too. Jack was fully energized and in a great mood as Toothiana neared.

Tooth found the tree in Central Park easily. She could see two large, black fearlings standing on either side of the door, looking aimlessly at the trees and sticking to the shadows. Every now and then, one would twitch or jerk suddenly like it had been hit. The door glowed as she came slowly closer. One fearling disappeared into darkness as he saw her, going ahead to inform Jack. The other opened the door for her. Tooth was afraid but trying desperately not to show it. Inside, Jack was jamming on stage to an electric beat. The tall fearling appeared beside him and tapped his shoulder. He turned and listened to its heavy, whispering voice.

“Tooth Fairy? Here?” He shrugged. “Cool. Maybe we have a song for her…” He put on “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses with a chuckle, but as Toothiana entered the club, his opening illusion spell played introducing the club since it was her first time. Jack watched Tooth hover over the crowd and land on stage, staring at someone who wasn’t there. He realized quickly she was looking at his recording from the illusion spell.

“Jack. It’s- it’s nice to see you!” She said over the music to empty air. Jack laughed at the sight and stepped in, waving at her. “Whoa- what?”

“That’s a recording for first-timers! Welcome!” He said over the music. “Come this way!” He led her to a quiet back room so they could talk. “Nice to see you, too,” he said with a chuckle once the music was muffled. Kozmotis saw them walk to the back but decided not to intervene. He stayed near the door in case Jack wanted assistance or company, knowing the other could feel his presence.

“What… in the world… _is_ all this?” Tooth asked, flustered. She had completely lost what she was going to say. Jack lifted his shutter glasses onto his head.

“This is Club Blackjack. I created it! Just for kids. They can come get away here, have some risk-free fun, and get back home whenever they want. Or whenever they tire out, whichever happens first,” he shrugged. Tooth was still unnerved by the writhing darkness that surrounded Jack’s feet and his unnatural, black corneas. “So, uh, aren’t you busy? Like, all the time? What- uh- to what do I owe the pleasure?” He smirked, summoning a table and glasses of ice. He melted the insides to provide her a drink. “Water?”

“No- no, thank you, I’m just stopping in. I had something important I needed to discuss with you.”

“Oh, a business conversation. Got it.” He snapped his fingers, and the room fashioned itself into an office. Jack sat in a large, intimidating armchair of shadows at an icy desk with clawed feet. “Please, have a seat.” Tooth was pushed by shadows into her own seat in front of him. “Before anything else, I want to apologize. I overreacted a bit when you and the others broke into Nightfall. I shouldn’t have just attacked blindly. Are your wings alright?” Tooth stammered a bit and flexed her wings on instinct.

“Yes, I’m fine. Uh, thank you… Jack.”

“Go ahead, then.” He put his feet up on the desk and waited for her to start.

“There is a lot wrong with what you’re doing here. It needs to stop.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Jack asked cordially, though in his mind he was challenging her and getting ready to lay on his thick defenses.

“How about kidnapping children, first off?”

“I’ve not kidnapped anyone,” he said calmly. “They’re all here of their own will, they choose to stay, and they can leave whenever they want.”

“So, you’re just going to skip over the coercive nature of luring children into dark portals in their closets?”

“Not everyone chooses to enter the portals. Some go right back to bed, and I leave them alone,” he shrugged.

“Then what about how you’re letting them play with magic? They can all see you. This kind of exposure can be dangerous!”

“There’s nothing dangerous about what I’m doing. Koz!” Jack called him in. Kozmotis entered, and Tooth gasped and stood at attention.

“General!” She knew he’d been freed from darkness but seeing someone as legendary and powerful as the leader of the Golden Army shocked her nearly speechless. Kozmotis stood beside Jack.

“Have you been listening?”

“Not really,” he shrugged.

“Has anyone gotten hurt since I opened the club? Anyone at all?” Jack asked him pointedly. Kozmotis glanced at Tooth and answered honestly.

“No. No children have been hurt, injured, or maimed in any physical capacity,” he said specifically, wondering how the conversation had gotten here.

“Exactly,” Jack said. He put his feet down and leaned forward on the desk. “And I’ve had almost a hundred thousand kids here since I opened the club.”

“These kids belong in their homes, Jack,” Tooth said firmly. “And instead, they’re here, and you’re altering their happiest memories! Their baby teeth should be capturing memories of them happy at home with their families, like yours!” Jack had a look of realization.

“So, that’s why you’re really here. You know, some of them don’t even have homes or families,” he responded. Kozmotis knew where this was going and stood by to listen. “Three days ago, I made a new room in the floor below for a group of kids who decided to start calling themselves ‘The Lost Boys.’ There are currently thirteen of them-”

“If you’re talking about orphans, they belong at their orphanages and the homes the humans provide,” Tooth cut him off. Jack’s face flashed with a dark look, and he sent a shadow to bind her to the chair and cover her mouth. Kozmotis gave him a look, but he ignored it.

“I wasn’t done. You’re being rude. Again.” Tooth remembered her interaction with Pitch while he and Jack were detained at the Workshop. She had been so flustered she had ignored him, and he had thoroughly knocked her down a peg. “As I was saying, there are thirteen children here with no homes to return to. And I know all of them personally. When is the last time you interacted with children on an individual level?” He walked around the desk and stood over her. She withered a little in the binds. “That’s what I thought.” Jack stuck his staff to the floor and leaned on it, his lip twisted. “Abdul- la ‘ahad. A young Afghan teen who took a name that means ‘servant to no one.’ He’s here with a brother and two older cousins. Extremists forced him to kill his ‘cowardly’ parents in front of his brother and cousins with a gun that was bigger than his torso. The fearlings were attracted to his nightmares that night and brought him to the club. He brought his family three days ago and is still here.

“The first kids to call this group ‘The Lost Boys’ are these two foster kids. Children to Syrian immigrants who got deported. They were born here, though, so their family put them in the foster care system so they could stay in the country. They speak English and enough Farsi and Pashto to communicate with the Afghani boys. Then there are three orphans from around the United States, victims of miserable, abusive foster families. There’s a girl from Mexico who calls herself Desdemona. She lost her older sister to gang activities. Raped and murdered in the alley next to their house.” Kozmotis watched Tooth, her watered eyes locked on Jack as she took in the information. “She ran away to my club and brought her younger brother, who, despite his age, was already being scouted for the gang as a pickpocket. And the most recent additions were two Vietnamese pre-teens who escaped their local sex trade. So, let’s recap, that’s five abused orphans and fosters, four child soldiers, two Mexican almost-cartel members, and two sex slaves staying for free in my club. And a partridge in a fucking pear tree!” Jack cackled. “They are well-fed, healthy, and last I checked in on all of them, happy. You want to tell me,” Jack stood up straight and pointed the staff in Tooth’s face, releasing the shadow over her mouth as he leaned closer, “exactly what you think is wrong with what I’m doing here?” Tooth stammered for a moment, her voice broken as her mind reeled with the tragedies surrounding Jack’s Lost Boys.

“We- we can’t help everyone, Jack…,” she whispered, feeling guilt roll through her with a heavy wave of nausea.

“Wrong. You can’t. But I can.” Kozmotis put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and pulled him back gently, stepping in. He leaned down to Jack’s ear.

“Take a deep breath,” he whispered to Jack before putting himself between them. “Release her.” Jack waved the shadows away, glaring at Tooth. “Mankind has mastered war and misery,” Kozmotis said to Tooth. “Jack has provided a small but effective outlet. Human lives are so fleeting, the childhood portion especially. Is it really important what kind of happy memories a child has, so long as they’re happy?” Tooth stared up at the general’s familiar golden eyes. She’d been told they were the only part of him that never changed when he was swallowed by darkness. She was instantly reminded of a single tooth in a memory box she kept separate from the rest of her collection. A long time ago, Pitch Black had been part of a little boy’s best memories, not that she had ever found the strength to tell him about it. He’d been so dismissive of the boy’s short life that she couldn’t bring herself to tell him, though she always regretted not saying anything and wondered if the knowledge would have brought Pitch around sooner.

“You’re wrong. It does matter who is in those memories,” she said, getting her strength back. “These core, happy memories affect who they become as adults. This blatant exposure to magic could corrupt or hurt them, not just physically, but emotionally. Mentally. They have to grow up and return to the real world eventually. They’re not just eternal children like you!” She stood and walked around Kozmotis as she said this to Jack. Jack gripped his staff tightly.

“I’m not-” he started slowly in a low growl, but Kozmotis cut him off again.

“He’s not a child,” Kozmotis defended, pushing Tooth into her chair and back a few feet with just a small nod. “Jack is a courageous and compassionate leader who has more experience with humans than all of us combined. Like a true leader, he spent time with his people. Learning them. Caring for them. Losing them over the years.” Jack turned away as his mind drifted to his adoptive human family, now long dead, and Jamie, their distant relative, refusing to believe in him now. “You have your teeth and fairies. North has his toys and yetis. You each have something you do that you truly believe in. This is what Jack believes in.” Jack’s heart swelled a little as Kozmotis supported him. The white portion of his cloak glowed, fending back darkness until the gray ombre was nearly at the bottom. Tooth rose from her chair again and hovered, silent for a moment.

“Then I guess I’ll ask a final question. How are you feeding the darkness, Jack?” Jack cleared the room of shadow and ice furniture.

“How do you mean?” He smirked.

“If this nightclub is really so good for the children, how are you keeping the darkness and the fearlings at bay? You’re feeding on nightmares, aren’t you? You still think this isn’t dangerous? The old Jack Frost never would have-”

“I am so sick of hearing that!” Jack laughed. “The old Jack Frost… I’m older than all of you! Well, except Koz, maybe. Maybe the old Jack Frost you all keep thinking of is the one who had a blank slate!” He dropped his shutter shades back into place to cover his eyes. “I erased myself from existence. I probably was a little different. Desperate. Confused. Childish. But you’re right. I’m not like that anymore. Everything I’ve ever done was for someone else! This is the first thing I’ve done for myself, and it’s still helping other people. Yes, Tooth, I feed on their nightmares. But I’m not spreading darkness, and I’m not trying to take over the world. I’m not a threat to you or any of the others, unless you make me one,” he challenged her.

“I can’t allow that risk. The darkness that possesses you is not something you can control.” Tooth drew two thin, curved swords from thin air. “General, surely you understand. You were someone else entirely different as Pitch Black.”

“On the contrary, I was quite restrained in my later years,” he said politely, folding his hands in front of him as he eyed her swords. “Jack has shown a level of self-control that took me centuries to reach. Beyond that, this is not a fight you alone are prepared for. You should leave. Now,” he said firmly. As Kozmotis spoke, Jack changed the room. His dark shadows covered the icy walls, making the entire room look like a cage. Tooth looked around, trying to conceal her panic. Jack could feel her innate fear rising and sapped on it, stressing her out more as she started to tire without understanding why.

“Shut the club down. Sends the kids home,” Tooth said, her wings buzzing angrily.

“Did you not hear anything we said?” Jack stepped forward. “Not everyone here can go home! Are all of you just trigger-happy, itching for a fight?” Jack scoffed. “I swore I wouldn’t strike first. So, go ahead, keep being ignorant. Follow through on that stupid tunnel vision, you toothless excuse for a fairy!” Jack spread his arms, challenging her. Tooth gritted her teeth and charged at him. Kozmotis moved to step in but Jack held him back with a shadow limb around his waist. The interference slowed him just enough for Tooth to strike Jack in the stomach. She flew fast, driving him back into the far wall, impaling him on her thin sword and holding the second against his neck.

“Let the kids go,” she growled. “I won’t let you alter their core memories like this!” Jack smirked. Kozmotis summoned his scythe, his shimmering eyes murderous as he took in the sight of Jack with a sword in his gut. Kozmotis looked at the shadows around the room making it look like a cage and started to pick up on what Jack had done. It was very clever, but uncharacteristically manipulative.

“I said I wouldn’t strike first. I didn’t say I wouldn’t strike back.” Jack forced her back with two large limbs of shadow to reveal he had phased himself into shadow right where she’d tried to stab him. “That wouldn’t have been a fatal blow, but it would have done some serious damage,” he said, examining his torso as he shifted back to his normal form. Tooth slashed at the shadows, her swords glowing with fairy magic. Jack swept into battle with Tooth, grabbing Twiner and using the dagger-point end against her. He blocked her dual-wielding strikes and flew around the room with her, knocking her back just with parries and blows. Kozmotis let his scythe disappear and leaned against a wall to watch when he realized how much Jack was holding back. He was toying with her. Having fun. He didn’t actually want to hurt her. Kozmotis knew that despite his battle-hardened expertise and berserker-like fighting instincts, Jack was still a pacifist at heart. When he was done “playing” with her, he finally used the shadows to create a giant hammer and smashed her through a portal back to the Tooth Castle.

“Jack, you can’t do this!” She shouted, flying back for the portal.

“I really hit the nail on the head with that one, huh, Koz!” Jack laughed as the portal closed just before she could reach it.

“The joke and the delivery are good, but your timing is awful. You should have made a wrench and said, ‘I really put a wrench in the works,’” he corrected. Jack laughed harder, floating in the middle of the room with his staff beside him. “Is your club self-sufficient for a bit longer?”

“Should be. Why?”

“Because you fought incredibly dirty just now, and I think I need to teach you some manners,” Kozmotis said, melting the metal door handle to lock the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this Chapter, we saw a Tooth Fairy who was adamant that exposing children to magic was dangerous or ill-advised; this kind of follows with the movie canon since Dreamworks showed us the mythical holiday figures hiding from children, but it doesn't align with the books. Joyce wrote of a village (Santoff Claussen) where children were not only exposed to magic, but encouraged to practice it themselves and explore the world around them. It was beautifully open-minded, but I hadn't read the books yet when I wrote this, so I stuck with "magic is risky for humans." Just wanted to take a tangent to push Joyce's original book series again- his world building was enrapturing and inspiring.
> 
> Also, Tooth makes reference to how Pitch is part of the happiest memories of one boy, long since passed, and that comes from unofficial backstory comics written/drawn by the animators who worked on the movie. Deep, non-canon lore found here: https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Unofficial_Rise_of_the_Guardians_Comics  
> They are fantastic stories, and I learned that the animators became just as obsessed with Joyce's world as I did!
> 
> Join me again on Monday for the next upload, my Frostlings!


	58. Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought you'd have to wait until Monday, but then I realized that today was a holiday, too! And how appropriate- or INappropriate maybe we should say? Because *warning* this is a ~saucy~ chapter. Like basically no plot. It's about time they had some alone time together again, right? Happy Valentine's Day, my Frostlings!

**Ch. 58- Twenty-One**

Jack raised a brow and tried to cast another portal, but Kozmotis grabbed the atmosphere in one hand like it was a thin sheet of silk and vibrated the air until Jack dropped to the floor.

“Ahh… stop it!” Jack grabbed his head as the vibration stopped, leaving a strong ringing in his ears.

“You caged her in and goaded her into a fight. You wanted her to strike first.”

“I mean… I was still hoping she wouldn’t fight,” Jack said, panting as he rolled onto his back.

“I’m disappointed in you,” Kozmotis tsk-ed. “I thought you were a pacifist.”

“I am. I just wanted to piss her off and get her to leave _and_ not come back anytime soon. It was fun.” Jack sat up, a little concerned as Kozmotis circled him.

“Oh, it was fun to make her stab you against a wall. Is that what I’m hearing? I almost ended her, Jack,” Kozmotis said, leaning down, nose-to-nose with Jack. He let his seriousness hang in the air before standing up straight again. “The only reason I didn’t was because I realized what you were doing a split second before I moved to smite her.” Jack snickered uncontrollably.

“You said smite. You’re so old-fashioned.” Kozmotis whipped out a stream of golden plasma and coiled it around Jack’s neck in one swift motion, heaving him up to his feet. Jack scrambled and choked, pulling at the whip as Kozmotis drew up behind him. He pulled on the whip until Jack’s back was flush against his chest as he panicked.

“Calm down, little light. I defended you to her, and you decided to be a rude little prankster. Take your punishment like a man.” He loosened the whip around Jack’s neck and ran his free hand down Jack’s front. Jack slowly realized that he wasn’t being attacked and started to calm down. Then, his energy came back in a different way. He fought a little less but refused to give up control entirely. “Pity you just fed… You know I’ve been wanting you to try feeding on me instead. Like how I used to do to you.” Kozmotis yanked on the whip and started undoing the buttons of his shirt, noticing how fast Jack was hardening in his tight pants. “When did you start wearing leather?” He purred. “I don’t remember these.” He released the whip and reached around the cloak to squeeze Jack’s backside, his large hand gripping tightly. Jack gasped, enjoying the fuzzy stars as his center of gravity wobbled back and forth. Kozmotis stepped away. Before Jack could fall over from his loss of balance, he gestured with a palm out and forced the dark sprite back against the wall. Jack tried to pull away, but it felt like he was trapped on a spinning Gravitron ride, pinned to the wall by some heavy, unseen pressure. “And get these ridiculous things off your face.” Kozmotis reached up and took the shutter shades off. “I want to see the look in your eyes as you accept your punishment,” he said with a smug look.

“You’re the one who told me you wanted me to wear leather,” Jack said, stifling a cough. He sent sweeping arms of shadow at Kozmotis, trying to knock him over or make him lose his focus so he could get off the wall. Kozmotis didn’t move. Golden light burst from his skin, burning back the shadows. He unfastened his crimson robe and let it fall to the floor as he walked shirtless up to Jack. His own pants were getting tight, too, but he had to follow through with the punishment first. Then, they could have fun together. Jack cringed a little, staring at his body even though the light hurt his eyes.

“That was a little while ago,” Kozmotis chuckled. “Now… if you had your choice… how would you prefer to be punished?”

“You know what would be perfectly appropriate and miserable? If you let me go back to work. All the singing and dancing and partying, ugh, that’s the worst!”

“I think I’ll take some of your privileges away first. Like talking.” Kozmotis cast a glowing golden ribbon and let it snake off his arm and into the air. It slithered around Jack’s head and tied itself tight, muffling his words.

“Nn!” Jack bit down on it, surprised that it felt like fabric but tasted like metal on his tongue. Kozmotis twirled a finger in the air, and more strands of plasma appeared. One formed a gold chain dangling from the ceiling, and it shackled around Jack’s wrists, pulling them straight over his head. Kozmotis dragged them back to the middle of the room, letting Jack dangle for a moment as he swung away from the wall. He lowered the chain until Jack’s feet were on the floor again, and then he summoned two more shackles to lock his ankles down. He spread Jack’s legs and made sure everything was tight enough to hold him in that upside-down Y-shape but loose enough that he wouldn’t get hurt. Jack wanted to call him out for all the kinky fantasies he’d clearly been repressing, and he wanted to fight back and get free somehow, but another part of him wanted to play along and see how bad this “punishment” was going to be.

“I like this shirt. Do you have more of them?” Kozmotis asked, running a hand gently over Jack’s chest. He let out a small moan, wanting desperately to be touched more, and nodded. “Good.” Kozmotis pulled a small blade from his belt as he walked behind Jack and sliced the shirt down the back. Jack groaned in protest, trying to look back at Kozmotis. “What about these pants that leave nothing to the imagination?” Jack bit down hard on the tie on his mouth and protested loudly. “They’re probably not appropriate to be wearing around children,” Kozmotis said, clicking his tongue as he reached around to undo Jack’s belt, button, and zipper. He scooted them down as much as he could with Jack’s legs spread and then leaned over and whispered in Jack’s ear, “try not to move.” Jack froze as he heard an electric buzzing noise. He looked down to see a dangerously bright blade made of plasma between his legs. He flinched, squeezing his eyes shut, and then his pants slackened. Kozmotis smiled at the sight of Jack bound, clothes torn to shreds, and hard as a rock because of it. “There’s a song I found in your music library while you were feeding the other night. I’d like to play it while I punish you,” he said. He glanced down, grinning as Jack twitched at the word ‘punish.’ “Careful, you like this too much and I might have to _actually_ punish you.” Jack smiled around the tie, looking up through his lashes with white-ringed black eyes. “I’ll be right back.” Kozmotis phased through the wall and left Jack alone to see if he would behave and stay put. Jack considered trying to get out of the plasma chains, but he was too anxious about what Kozmotis was planning to do. The suspense only excited him more.

Kozmotis went up to the stage and set the song up next in the queue. He gazed out at the crowd to make sure things were still stable before he went back to Jack. The last thing he wanted was for something to go wrong because he’d stolen Jack away for too long. But the children were happy, dancing and playing, and the fearlings were staying at curious but respectful distances. Most were either huddled near the horror theater or down a floor in the “break room,” as Jack called it. Kozmotis raised a hand and made a small hole in the wall near the ceiling and one of the large speakers so Jack could hear the music in the adjoining room. He phased back through the door and folded his hands in front himself, looking hungrily at Jack still dangling in the chains. “Are you behaving for me?” He asked, prodding verbally at the sprite. Jack gave him a playful glare. “I’ll give you your mouth back, but you have to be careful. Scream loud enough and they might hear you out there.” Kozmotis released the tie over his mouth. Jack flexed his jaw and licked his lips a few times.

“I really liked this outfit,” he said with a sassy tone.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. I can fix it if you really want me to. If only so I can rip it off you again,” he whispered the last part, devouring Jack’s body with hungry, shining eyes. Jack felt chills. “Now, for your punishment, since you didn’t give me any guidance, I’m just gonna… what do you call it on stage? Freestyle?” Kozmotis shimmied a little to the upbeat music pouring into the room.

“Please stop trying to sound cool,” Jack whined with a little smile. Kozmotis stepped closer to Jack and placed a hand on his thigh where the cut pants still covered his skin. Jack couldn’t help a moan at the touch, longing for more.

“So sensitive and needy.” Jack felt something tickling his leg all over and looked down to see Kozmotis using his powers to change the structure of the leather pant leg. He pulled the material away from Jack’s skin gently and formed the leather into a small riding crop with a thin metal square, what was the button of the pants and half the zipper, inside the flat part of the crop. He wrapped his hand around it and slapped his own arm with it, hissing and smiling. “Perfect. Just the right sting.” Jack flinched a little at the sound as he did it again and circled, stopping behind him. “Mm… but how many hits do you deserve?”

“Maybe just two because I didn’t try to escape?” Jack said nervously. Kozmotis circled around again and whipped the crop under his chin, lifting his neck up.

“Just two? It’s not a cat o’ nine tails. It’s a horse crop. If you don’t give me a reasonable number, it’ll be a hundred.” Jack swallowed as Kozmotis dropped the crop to his side and walked behind him again.

“Uh, lucky thirteen…?”

“Two hundred?” Kozmotis ran the flat end of the crop down Jack’s spine, enjoying the full-body shiver he responded with.

“T-twenty-one! Because the club? Blackjack?” He said quickly.

“That’s cute. Alright, twenty-one. But you have to keep count. Lose count and we start over.” The next song started playing, “Filthy Pride” by Social Repose. Jack knew the song and started to lose himself to the breathy vocals and ominous beat. “This song reminds me of you. Of us.”

“I thought you hated modern music.”

“Perhaps it’s growing on me.”

“Perhaps you finally pulled that stick out of your ass- OW!” Jack was taken by surprise at the force of the first hit. Kozmotis grinned at the red mark already forming on Jack’s cheek.

“Are you counting or screaming?” Kozmotis said, rubbing over the mark to ease the pain.

“One!” Jack said quickly. Kozmotis struck him across the ass, the backs of his thighs, and his back, getting to six before the end of the song. He massaged gently between each hit, making sure Jack knew it was all in good fun.

“It’s not too much, is it?” He whispered. Jack shook his head a little. “Use your words.”

“No, it’s- it’s good…,” he panted.

“Good.” He reached around and gave him a hard smack to the chest, catching him off-guard again.

“Ah!” Kozmotis gave him a second to keep the count as he strode around to face Jack. “Seh… seven…” Kozmotis took in the view, from Jack’s flushed face and neck to the darkening red square on his chest to his straining, weeping cock.

“We can stop if it’s too much,” Kozmotis said. He was incredibly turned on, but he didn’t want Jack putting on a brave face if this wasn’t something he actually enjoyed.

“Stop being nice, damn it. Punish me,” he growled, smiling through gritted teeth. Kozmotis felt a rumble rise in his chest like a lion’s purr.

“I’ll wipe that smile off your face,” he said in a low voice. He struck Jack across the chest, sometimes in quick succession to see if he lost count. He almost lost it around sixteen, getting his numbers mixed up. “Should we start over?”

“No! No!” Jack whined. “It was seventeen,” he said confidently. Kozmotis knew it was sixteen but let it slide since the last two had been quick and hard.

“You heal so fast… I’d have liked to see these marks last a little longer,” Kozmotis said, leaning down to kiss a particularly red mark on Jack’s ribs.

“Then hit me harder,” Jack said breathily.

“Are you sure?”

“I bet Tooth could have hit me harder. You smack like a little bitch-” Jack lost his voice at the force of the hit that landed on his stomach.

“Rude, vulgar little boy. Cursing doesn’t suit you. And you do it just to get a rise out of me.”

“I knew something was rising,” Jack said when he found his voice again. He flinched as Kozmotis ran the crop up from the base of his cock to the tip.

“You didn’t count.”

“Eighteen,” Jack said quickly.

“That’s the last time I’ll remind you.” He gave Jack two more, each on the thigh and close enough that Jack could feel a frighteningly sharp breeze over his nethers.

“Nineteen, twenty,” he said in a rushed whisper. Kozmotis gave him a moment to breathe and laid the last blow across his chest, over his heart. Jack moaned loudly at the lingering sting. He muttered the last number under his breath.

“Hm? I can’t hear you. You must want to start over.”

“Twenty-one, damn it! Let me out! Please! Please, I want to be touched!” Jack begged, pulling at the shackles. Kozmotis folded his hands and concentrated. He repaired Jack’s clothes and folded them mid-air, released the shackles and made the plasma disappear, and he cast a portal beneath them both that led to their bed. Kozmotis caught Jack as he collapsed and embraced him, rubbing gently over the dark marks and kissing his cold skin.

“You were so good for me. So good,” he praised. “My naughty little sprite.” Jack moaned and panted, his skin on fire everywhere he was touched.

“I need you,” he whined. He placed a hand on the other’s chest and made the rest of his clothes dissolve into shadow.

“You can have me,” Kozmotis said, breathing a sigh of relief as he was liberated from his pants. Jack crawled back and swallowed him down, wetting his cock thoroughly with a desperate look in his eyes. Jack climbed back up after a minute and struggled to get Kozmotis lined up in his rush to get him inside. “You sure you don’t need any stretching or- ohh…” Kozmotis groaned as Jack found the right angle and lowered himself down onto his thick length.

“I wanted it to hurt a little,” Jack said, biting his lip as he waited to adjust.

“I am so happy that worked for you,” Kozmotis said with a proud smile.

“I already knew you were a kinky bastard, but you never told me how good it would feel.”

“I suppose it didn’t come up in conversation,” he chuckled. He tested Jack’s tightness with a small roll of his hips. Jack moaned and grabbed at the other’s chest for support. Kozmotis wrapped his hands around Jack’s hips and pulled him into a quick rhythm. His voice was like that of a large beast, the growl of a bear waking from hibernation, starving and frenzied. Jack sat up and rocked into his thrusts, shuddering each time Kozmotis hit the right spot and sent sparks of arousal through Jack’s thighs and core.

“I’m already close,” Jack whined with a disappointed but lustful look.

“That’s okay. Go ahead.” Kozmotis had no plans to stop anyway. “It’s all you,” he said, letting Jack take what he needed. Jack lifted his hips and drove himself down harder, trying to get his partner as deep as possible. He moaned loudly as he worked the deep spot, only going up about halfway each time he moved. Kozmotis could tell when he was about to go and took over again, driving in deep to knock him over the edge. Jack tightened up and shuddered as he came. Kozmotis gave him less than a minute to ride it out before he flipped them over and started pounding Jack into the plush mattress. “My turn.” Jack was a moaning mess of putty beneath him, like a melting puddle of snow in the sun. Kozmotis hugged Jack close as he came a few minutes later, his larger form almost completely hiding Jack against the bed.

“Mm… that was fast for both of us,” Jack chuckled quietly.

“Quite…,” Kozmotis panted. “Got me just as worked up, looking at you all tied and bound and marked up just for me.”

“Pervert,” Jack accused.

“Twink.” Jack gasped like he was offended, but he was more just amazed that Kozmotis knew what that meant.

“Dilf,” Jack bit back, testing his knowledge.

“Alright, I don’t know that one,” Kozmotis admitted, sitting up a little.

“It’s more a compliment than an insult,” Jack snickered. “Google it later.”

“Wait, is it like milf?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Jack laughed, sitting up on his elbows. He groaned quietly as Kozmotis pulled out slowly so he could lay more comfortably with Jack.

“So instead of mother, it’s… oh, you’re sick,” Kozmotis said, shaking his head.

“Maybe… are you gonna make me all better, doc?” Jack collapsed on the bed dramatically.

“You’re ridiculous. And sick beyond help.”

“Sick… sick beats… sick- shit! I gotta get back to the club!” Jack sat up a little too fast and had to slowly lower himself back down.

“While it is nice that you don’t pass out after sex anymore, I will reiterate that I really don’t like you having a job. It’s quite intrusive on our bedtime. And you should probably wash up before you go back.”

“I guess we’ll have to find a day of the week I can take off, then,” Jack smirked. “Wouldn’t be a bad idea. Sleep, sex, recharge,” he shrugged, slowly easing out of bed. “Uh, can I have my clothes back?” He asked with a cute pout. Kozmotis motioned across the room with his fingers, and Jack’s clothes and cloak floated over. Jack started for the shower with his clothes in his arms. “You want to join me?”

“Of course,” Kozmotis said, finding just the right balance between rushing and elegance as he chased after Jack’s marred, naked body.


	59. Oncoming Traffic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's Monday and a holiday of sorts, which means today is another double-upload! Ch. 60 to follow this post~

**Ch. 59- Oncoming Traffic**

January 15th. Jamie stared at Katie, drifting on a surreal cloud as she rambled to her friends about the exclusive nightclub she discovered. He still couldn’t believe her parents allowed boys at her sleepover. He wasn’t the only one there vying for her attention, but she had specifically invited him by name through one of her best friends, so that boosted his fragile confidence.

“Now, everyone up on the bed!” Jamie shook his head a little, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “This is about the time it showed up in my room last night.” Katie clapped her hands like they were all her servants.

“You’re crazy,” one of her friends scoffed. Jamie sat on the foot of the bed, and Katie sat next to him. He looked way to hide how much he was blushing as the rest of her friends got on the big pink bed with them. She squished up next to him so everyone would fit, and he was almost certain that was some side-boob he felt on his shoulder.

“Quiet, everyone!” She snapped. Jamie’s ears strained, and then he heard it: an ethereal tearing noise, like someone recorded ripping a curtain and replayed it with reverb. Katie gasped and peered over the edge of her bed. A little yellow-eyed fearling crawled and looked up at her. One of her friends started to scream, and Katie grabbed her face. “Shh! You’ll spook it!” Jamie’s eyes went wide. There was a demon in his crush’s room. And it looked… familiar? The fearling looked over the group of kids on the bed and gave a hissing laugh. He sent the image back to Jack, projecting. Jack was in the middle of a snow-eating contest with a group of third graders. He paused, focusing on the image.

“Jamie.”

“I win! I beat. Jack. Frost!” One of the boys jumped up, snapping Jack from his thoughts.

“Good game, kid.” Jack got up and ruffled his hair. “We’ll have a rematch sometime, yeah?”

“I can’t feel my tongue…”

“Price of winning,” Jack chuckled. He walked away, not sure how to feel about Jamie finding the club. He figured it would happen sooner or later, but he’d also hoped it wouldn’t and had repressed the conflict.

“What’s wrong?” Kozmotis came to his side.

“Jamie,” Jack muttered. “He’s coming.” Kozmotis tilted Jack’s chin up.

“He’s just another child.”

“But he’s not. He was the last light.”

“So are you.” Kozmotis kissed his forehead. Jack blushed and held his hand.

“Keep an eye on me. I might do something stupid if he pisses me off again,” Jack said with a sweet, innocent look as he nuzzled his lover’s hand.

“What do you think I do all day?”

“Watch my ass when I dance,” Jack smirked.

“Mm, your cloak hides it too well. I should have made you a halter top.” Jack laughed. He heard the portals of new arrivals and took a deep breath.

“That’s probably him. I wonder if he’ll be able to see me now… or how much he’ll remember…?” Jack wondered.

“Try not to place too much value on one child, Jack. He’ll be gone in a hundred years.”

“You know I can’t do that. They’re all important to me, even if they question their belief.”

Katie crawled under her bed and everyone could hear as her laughing voice became echoed and distant.

“What?” One of her friends peeked under the bed to see the dark portal swirling. “Whoa…” She crawled towards it and slipped in, screaming. The others jumped off the bed, freaking out.

“Where did they go!”

“It’s just a prank.”

“What is this thing!” The fearling was pacing around the bed, waiting for the kids to decide if they were going or not. Jamie swallowed down his fear and decided to go after Katie. He threw himself under the bed, phasing through the portal and shooting down an ice slide on his stomach.

“Whoa- whoa!” He remembered flashes of his fun ride on the sleigh, zipping through traffic and narrowly avoiding catastrophe as ice appeared in front of him. He laughed, eyes sparkling with fun, and he landed in a pile of snow next to Katie. “That was amazing…”

“That’s just the beginning! Where are the others?” Katie asked, grabbing Jamie’s hand to help him up. Jamie stammered, shocked to be holding hands with her. She pulled her hand back, giving him a weird look, and shook her head with a smile.

“I-I’m sure they’re- they’ll be alimbgeer… uh- along,” he said, trying to remember how to speak.

“What a dork,” Katie’s friend scoffed. Her bestie was next, followed by the three other boys at the sleepover, and then the two other girls she’d invited from cheerleading practice.

“Come on, everyone!”

“Where are we?” Some of them grumbled. Katie skipped off to find the door to the club. Jamie followed closely. He whipped back when one of the girls screamed; the fearling had followed them down, and more were gathering around them.

“Calm down, they won’t hurt you,” Katie said, rolling her eyes. She pulled the door open and took a deep breath. “Ah! Time to party down!” Because she had been there before and the portal had been used before, the introduction spell didn’t play. Jamie stepped into the club, amazed by the lights bouncing around the walls and how the floor lit up around his feet.

“Wow… what is this place?”

“Club Blackjack. An exclusive hideout just for kids! And you can stay up as long as you want!” Katie said, twirling around. Jamie’s eyes were locked on her as she started taking off her loose nightgown. “What? Did you think I was wearing my pajamas to a club?” She scoffed and tossed her nightgown at him. She wore a leather miniskirt, black flats, and a cut-off yellow halter top. Jamie felt underdressed in his flannel pants and matching button-up.

“Well, I wish I’d known,” he chuckled nervously. She walked up to him and started undoing his shirt.

“Here, we can fix you up a little bit.” Her friends had dressed similarly under their pajamas, shedding clothes as they looked around the dark, flashing, loud club. She popped his collar and left his shirt unbuttoned. “Are you wearing boxers or briefs?”

“Why does it- whoa!” Katie pulled his pants down a little so he was sagging.

“Mm, no, that look doesn’t work on you.” She pulled them back up. “We’ll have to come back again so you can dress up next time, too!”

“Come- come back? Again?” Jamie grinned, and Katie laughed and turned to join her friends on the dance floor. Jack’s gaze drifted across the club until he saw Jamie joining the girl and her circle. Unseen puzzle pieces snapped into place.

“Oh, I see… you got bullied by a girl because she likes you and doesn’t want to admit it and you don’t know how to talk to her…”

“You’re talking to yourself again,” Kozmotis said.

“Not if you heard me,” he smirked.

“It’s cute,” Kozmotis said.

“What, me, or Jamie chasing tail?” He pointed.

“You. I don’t care what the kid is doing. And he’s a little young for you to call it ‘chasing tail.’” Jack shrugged.

“I remember her from last night. She requested a bunch of the top-twenty hit songs. They’ll be over here soon.”

“Well, if you know that, you can prepare for it. Don’t go turning more children into fearlings now.”

“One time,” Jack muttered. “And with good reason.” He shrieked a little as Kozmotis moved the cloak and smacked his ass in one quick motion. As Katie maneuvered her friend group closer to the stage, Jamie was experiencing the return of his memories of magic in dizzying flashes. The shades of blue and white flashing across the ice walls and floor were familiar somehow. He remembered having a serious conversation with his stuffed rabbit. He remembered how the frost on the window became a magic rabbit that hopped around his room and then turned into a little flurry of snowflakes. And he remembered…

“Jack Frost.” His eyes trailed up to the stage where Jack stood at the DJ booth, bobbing his head to the music and blending songs together. As the club became more crowded, he swept his arm out, evaporating old ice creations to clear the dancefloor some more. Jamie felt a twist of guilt in his gut as he remembered their last conversation. As soon as he’d started talking about growing up, Jack had disappeared, and he’d forgotten everything. Was it out of anger? Was Jack upset with him for trying to grow up? Jack scanned the crowd with a protective kind of look that reminded Jamie of the lifeguards at his community pool. His eyes fell on Jamie, and he couldn’t hide his glare and small lip-twist of pained frustration. Jamie shriveled inside, moving to hide behind one of the taller girls. Katie was too busy dancing like a maniac to notice. She grabbed Jamie’s arm.

“Come on, dance with us! What, are you tired already, little sleepy baby!” She taunted.

“No!” Jamie snapped. “Not tired. I, uh, I just don’t dance that much…” Jack listened to them through the yellow-eyed fearling at their feet. He smirked at the ideas he was getting and couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Kozmotis eyed him as he jumped off the stage and headed for Jamie and the group from Hawthorne. Jack slid through the shadows and rose slowly behind Jamie. Katie gasped, smiling wide at him. Jack propped his staff on his shoulder as he grinned at the group. Katie slowly started a chant.

“BlackJack. BlackJack. BlackJack!” Her friends joined in as Jamie turned and stumbled back away from Jack. He could have sworn Jack flashed sharp vampire-like fangs at him for a split second. Jack bathed in the attention, circling slowly with his arms out.

“Yeah, yeah!” Jack’s own hype song started playing loudly, “Comin’ in Hot” by Hollywood Undead. He cupped his mouth, “If you got Jack in yo cup go raise it up!”

“If you ain’t got enough go fill it up!” The kids around him chanted like it was his own concert. Jack laughed and jumped into the air, freestyling above everyone.

“I’m comin’ in hot, you heard me!” Jack sang along, exploding with energy to make it snow in the club. He dropped back down and swept his hair back. He stared Jamie down like it was a challenge and then turned around and focused on Katie, ignoring him. “I remember you,” he tilted his staff at her. “Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and…”

“Camila Cabello!” She nodded, ecstatic that Jack remembered her favorite singers. Jamie leaned over, taking mental notes. He looked between Jack and Katie as she introduced her friends. “… and this is Jamie!”

“Oh, we know each other,” Jack nodded, smirking. He circled Jamie and bonked him on the head with his staff. “Don’t we, Jamie?” He stretched out his name as he leaned down between them. Jamie was conflicted and fully red in the face. He wasn’t sure where this was going but was grateful that Jack was at least playing along. Maybe he wasn’t upset, Jamie thought.

“Uh, uh, yeah! Me and Jack go- go way back!” He nodded, crossing his arms.

“What! Really? You knew him and you didn’t tell me!” Katie shoved him in the chest with a playful laugh. Jamie recovered and brushed his open shirt back down. Jack eyed him, wondering if he had unbuttoned to try to impress the girl.

“I mean, it never really came up before,” Jamie shrugged, trying to play it cool.

“Wait, wasn’t… wasn’t he one of the fairy tales you were telling everyone about? Like how the Easter Bunny was real and tall and Australian, and how you met Jack Frost and fought the boogeyman with weird golden dreams?” Jamie opened his mouth, but only nervous squeaks came out. He was afraid Jack would give him away and cut in quickly.

“What! No! That- those were just stories! I was trying- trying to… make some fun, you know? Jack’s not- pff- he’s not some weird magical frost creature… thing,” he said, stepping in front of Jack. “Everything here is perfectly normal. Just special effects and stuff!” Jack was shocked. Jamie’s blatant denial and the decrease in the group’s belief physically hurt like a punch to the throat. He glared at Jamie. The kids around him were already doubting how they arrived at the club, like the magic portals were somehow just an elaborate illusion. He was crushed by how easily their belief was swayed.

“Well, how did you meet!” Katie chirped.

“I pushed him into oncoming traffic,” Jack responded before Jamie could. He could tell Kozmotis was eavesdropping from afar as he facepalmed and gave him “the look.” Katie laughed like he was joking.

“Jack, you’re so funny!” She turned to Jamie. “Maybe you’re a bit cooler than I thought,” she said, playing with his collar. Jack tapped his staff twice, making it snow just over Katie and Jamie. Katie giggled and reached up to catch some flakes. Jamie still felt anxious. He could tell there was a pressure to Jack’s presence and words, like he was dripping with toxic poison. Jack reveled in his paranoia and fear. He had two shadows wrapped loosely around Jamie’s ankles, sapping away and encouraging his negative feelings. “How do you really know each other?” Katie asked, keeping Jamie distracted.

“Jamie’s always believed in me and my friends, and he helped me slay all kinds of demons when I was going through a tough time,” he said, careful of his word choice. “I’d almost say… Jamie helped me find my way in life.” Jack had true sincerity in his voice at the last part. Jamie softened a little, an apology rising in his eyes. Jack couldn’t let that happen, though. He didn’t want to fix things yet. He didn’t care if it was the selfish, childish option. “That! And! Jamie and I have worked together before!” That wasn’t necessarily a lie, Jack thought.

“Really? What kind of work?”

“Uh, nothing big, really, just kind of a side job, like mowing lawns for money in the summer,” Jamie rambled nervously.

“Jamie and I dance together,” Jack interrupted him. “He’s a natural. We can show you if you’d like?” He gestured up to the stage. Katie clapped and squealed.

“Yes! Yes!” Jamie’s face fell as he stared at the empty stage covered in lasers and glowing lights. “Yes, dance for us! BlackJack! BlackJack!” They started chanting again.

“I’ll sing one of your favorites, just for you,” Jack told Katie, “and we’ll both dance for you.”

“I knew you were holding back,” Katie scoffed, shoving Jamie towards the stage as Jack floated over, his cloak billowing.

“Do I need to step in?” Kozmotis asked in a warning whisper.

“I’ve got it. I’m not gonna ruin his life, I’m just messing with him,” Jack whispered back. Jamie finally noticed Kozmotis, though he couldn’t really see him if he stared directly at him. It was strange, like trying to focus on a single star in a speckled sky. Jack set up a karaoke track for “My Oh My” and cast the lyrics screen in front of the stage so he wouldn’t mess it up. Jamie froze in front of the stage, eyes wide with fear and anxiety. Jack got a small thrill feeding off him but tried to restrain himself so he could have some more fun with the boy. He took his cloak off and threw it in Kozmotis’ face playfully. Kozmotis huffed and placed it on the DJ stool, straightening out his robes with a pompous look. He muttered something about not being a servant.

“Nope. I don’t- man, I think I really twisted my ankle on the slide down here, I can’t- ah!” Jack used a cold gust of wind to scoop Jamie onto the stage as he tried to bail. He leaned down in his ear.

“You really gonna disappoint the lady like that?” He said with an evil grin. “Just get up, be confident, and dance with me for a song. You might even have some fun. Stand next to me, here,” Jack pointed. Jamie got to his feet, shaking a little, and stood next to Jack. He could see most of the club from the stage, and the sheer number of kids and phones staring back at him had him frozen in place. “Loosen up.” Jack nudged him and started the song. “Oh, I almost forgot!” In the ten-second intro, Jack crafted two glowing light-blue poles of ice, one in front of himself and one in front of Jamie. Jamie stopped breathing as he realized what was happening.

“No! No, I can’t-” Jack froze one of his feet to the floor.

“You can. And you’re going to. You’ll look like more of a fool if you bail now.” Jamie glared at Jack. “Hands on the pole, kiddo, and sing my backups,” he teased, placing his hands on the ice. Jamie swallowed and copied Jack. Jack released his foot and sang, his voice amplified with the wind powers he’d been practicing. “They say he likes a good time. He comes alive at midnight.” Jack started slow, weaving his body to peek around either side of the pole. Jamie was still frozen in place, watching Jack, completely lost. “My mama doesn’t trust him…” Jack shook his head and his hips together, and he glanced at Jamie. “Back-up singer?” He whispered. “He’s only here for one thing,” Jack murmured, leaning back off the pole. Jamie looked at the lyrics on screen.

“But so… am I?” Jamie tried to follow along. He glanced nervously between Jack, the lyrics, and the phones and eyes focused on him.

“Come on, Jamie! Dance for us!” Katie urged. “What are you doing!”

“A little bit older… a black leather jacket. A bad reputation, insatiable habits!” Jack sang, glancing back at Kozmotis for a quick wink and a flirty tongue-flick. Jamie tried to copy Jack’s movements, looking like a back-row first timer in an advanced Zumba class. Jack continued singing and wrapped a leg around the pole, spinning slowly as he rocked his shoulders to the beat. Jamie fell over when he tried, withering inside as he heard laughter. Jack was disappointed he couldn’t even last a whole minute, but he wasn’t going to let Jamie just suffer on stage. That would be taking the prank a little too far. He cast a snowball of fun-flakes and tied the puppet string magic to Jamie as it struck. Jamie jumped back to his feet, eyes sparkling for a second, and started mimicking Jack’s dance exactly. Everyone cheered, thinking the fumble was part of the act.

“I swear on my life that I been a good boy! Tonight I don’t wanna be him!” Jamie sang, his voice just right to match Jack’s.

“They say he likes a good time,” Jack hopped up and spun around the pole again with just his hands, legs held out slightly. Jamie copied him flawlessly.

“My, oh my!” He sang.

“He comes alive at midnight.” Jack dipped his head back as he landed and dropped then slowly rose back up.

“Every night,” Jamie harmonized. Jack sent a fearling to play the real track as the rap portion started, letting go of the pole to dance a tilted, jerky eight-step with Jamie copying his every move. At the end of the rap, Jack cast a thick, horizontal bar of ice between the poles and released Jamie as he grabbed onto it. He swung up onto it with a knee and did a few rolls over the bar in beat with the music. He stopped upside-down, dangling from his knees as the song ended with his arms spread. The song transitioned to the next playlist, and Jack evaporated some of his ice to fill the floor of the club with fog. He closed his eyes with a peaceful smile as the crowd cheered. Their belief and happiness was much more satisfying than their fear, and it refreshed and calmed him. Jamie felt awkward as he approached Jack.

“I’m sorry,” he said, just barely loud enough to hear over the music. Jack peeked an eye open at him and crossed his arms. He floated off the ice and made the poles disappear. He went to the booth and pulled his cloak back on. Black crept up the cloak until only the hood was white.

“I don’t _believe_ you,” Jack replied. Jamie swallowed down another gulp of guilt.

“I am! I’m sorry, okay! You don’t know what it’s like to go to school like a normal kid, be around them, middle-schoolers are mean!”

“You must have it so rough. It must be hard to grow up,” he said with a fake pout. “We only saved you from planet-wide darkness. Misery and nightmares for the rest of your childhood. But I guess, if you’ve decided to be an adult, that it would have only lasted three years anyway.”

“If I remember correctly, I saved you,” Jamie said. “I stood up for you when you were all powerless,” he defended. Jack burst with an uncontrollable gust of wind, knocking Jamie over on stage.

“I never lost my powers,” he hissed. “I didn’t need you. I went to your aid when I saw that you were the last light. I let you witness my oath as a Guardian. And you repay me by brushing me off and lying about it. Go. Go have fun with your friends. Have fun when you grow up and forget everything again. I won’t forget,” he said. He wanted to attack Jamie. He wanted to plunge the boy into a dark nightmare showing him what the world would have been like in complete darkness. But he restrained himself. He instead let Jamie accept the guilt and remorse of his actions as he slid off stage and ran back to Katie’s group. Jack went back to the booth, crestfallen. Kozmotis put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m proud of you,” he murmured gently. “That was very mature. Everything after the pole-dancing, I mean.”

“His crush’s name is Katherine,” Jack whispered.

“Like your old friend, Katherine, the story-teller?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to hurt her, even if they’re not the same person. So… I’ll let Jamie do whatever. It’s not going to matter in a decade or two anyway.” Kozmotis wrapped an arm around his waist. Jack pressed into his hold for comfort and took another deep breath. “Thanks for letting me play around though.”

“It was mildly entertaining.”

“Really? It feels like it was _hard_ for you to just stand by and watch,” Jack said, tilting his hips back into Kozmotis.

“Your cloak is almost as big as your mouth. If you’re not careful, I’ll bend you over your DJ table in front of everyone and watch you struggle to keep it hidden.” Jack erupted in nervous giggles. “There’s a smile,” Kozmotis sighed. “BlackJack, hm?” He released Jack and looked over his shoulder as he rearranged the music blend.

“Yeah, I guess they’ve started to call me that instead of just the club. Is it weird?”

“No. It suits you. But I won’t call you that,” he scoffed.

“Good. I like your other nicknames…,” he admitted.

“Little light.” He gave Jack a peck on the cheek.

“Goldmember.”

“Is that a reference to something?”

“Yes,” Jack smirked. “And I’m not telling what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another link for my unintentional song-fic:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvGYK3iH_Ks -> killer male cover of "My Oh My" (and how I hear Jack singing the song)


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second upload for the "holiday," I hope you're all having a good time! There's a lot of snow where I am... I wonder whose fault that is ;)
> 
> The Thursday upload will also be a double-feature for the two-part section "It's All Fun and Games..." so get hyped!

**Ch. 60- Grey Area**

Later that night, Jack had made his way to the karaoke room and was wailing away with an angst-filled song. Kozmotis had lost him in the crowd for a minute, suffering heavily from the concoction of refuse that was J-pop happening on stage. Three young girls were dancing together, dressed roughly like sailors, singing in Japanese to a clunky, high-pitched beat. He found Jack, obviously drunk, clinging to a microphone for dear life. Jamie must have hurt him worse than he wanted to admit, the general thought.

“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick! Jill’s a little whore and her alibis are turning tricks!” Kozmotis slipped into the back, deciding Jack needed to get this out of his system before he forced him to sit down and talk. “So could you… tell me! How you’re sleeping easy! How you’re only thinking of yourself! Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature! Listen, mark my words, one day! You will pay! You will pa-ay! Karma’s gonna come collect your debt!” Kozmotis watched as puppet-stringed fearlings danced around to the swirling, razzed trumpet music in the song. Jack had attracted a small group, though most of the kids in the karaoke room were just waiting for their own turn and talking or playing on phones in the meantime. Some cheered him on as he danced and rocked out to the violent song. “Now, let’s not get overzealous here…” The singing transitioned to talking, and Kozmotis wasn’t sure it was part of the song until he saw lyrics on the screen beside Jack- not that he needed them. “You’ve always been a huge piece of shit!”

“Okay,” Kozmotis stood and decided that was enough.

“If I could kill you, I would!” He saw angry tears in Jack’s eyes. “But it’s frowned upon in all fifty states!” Jack swayed with the microphone, but not with the music. His eyes wouldn’t focus on anything, and Kozmotis wondered just how much he’d drunk to get to this point.

“You need a nap and some water. And bread.” He muttered, knowing Jack couldn’t hear him.

“Having said that… burn. In. Hell!” Despite his drunkenness and the angry lyrics, Jack’s voice was still perfect pitch and nearly angelic. As he danced around in circles, threatening to wrap himself up in the microphone cord, Kozmotis scooped him off the stage and carried him out. “Hey! Hey, what are you-!” Kozmotis gave him a kiss on the forehead to quiet him.

“Break time.”

“I’m FAH-INE!” Jack protested, trying to pull out of his arms. Shadows and darkness trailed them, but they were splotchy and grainy, like TV static. Kozmotis read it as exhaustion and emotional pain. He cast a portal and took Jack to the bedroom to calm down and rest. “Oh, wow, no, it’s too quiet now… my rings are earring…”

“You’re drunk, love. You need to recover.”

“I said I’m fine!” Jack protested as Kozmotis deposited him on the bed. “Hey, you’re- you’re jes trynna… get- get in my pants again, aren’t ya?” He slurred, rolling onto his stomach.

“Tempting, even as sloppy as you are right now. But, no.” Kozmotis sat beside the bed in the armchair and took Jack’s cloak off for him. “You need to talk yourself through this.”

“Talk through WHAT?” He grunted, turning to face Kozmotis with one eye peeked open.

“You’re clearly upset. I’m listening.”

“Not upset… nothing to talk about it. Gonna… make another drink… and do the Caramelldansen with the girls…,” he mumbled, trying to get back up.

“Shh, sh,” Kozmotis ran a hand through his hair to calm him. Jack flopped back into the soft bed, murmuring and grumbling. “Talk to me.” He waited patiently, making sure Jack wasn’t falling asleep just yet, and eventually the sprite started to talk.

“I just don’t understand how he could act this way… he’s not even an adu- he’s nowhere near being grown up! It’s not fair… he was special… to me. I thought… I was special… to him…,” Jack said, his voice breaking. It hurt Kozmotis to see Jack torn this way, but he had to learn how to accept this. Children always grow up, he thought, and Jack wouldn’t survive emotionally if he got this invested in every single one.

“You had to know it wouldn’t last forever,” Kozmotis said gently. Jack sniffled and pushed his face into the blankets. Kozmotis caught a whiff of something bitter and hinting towards spoiled grapes. “What were you drinking?”

“Mm, some kid brought all the NyQuil from their house… and we mixed it with… vvvvodka?” He said, lifting his head and trying to remember exactly what he’d put in his body.

“You’re letting them bring drugs?”

“It’s just cough medicine…”

“Jack, I draw the line at drugs. That needs to stop before someone gets severely hurt.”

“They’re fine, I’ve been watching them. And I don’t let anyone do stuff if they’re afraid or pressured.” Jack grabbed a pillow and nuzzled his head into it.

“You’re not watching them right now.”

“I can see through the fearlings, I told you this.”

“I know the level of concentration that requires, and I know you’re beyond being able to focus that much at the moment.”

“I told you… I’m fine.” Kozmotis stood and picked Jack up again. He didn’t protest this time, his head lolling back. Kozmotis took him to the bathroom and stood him up next to the sink.

“Look at yourself.” Jack winced in the bright light and gazed at his reflection. He was a mess, physically and emotionally. “Now, lean forward a little.”

“What, why?” Kozmotis pressed on his back to make him lean over the sink and then placed a palm across his stomach. Jack looked back at him, confused, until a shockwave erupted in his gut. Jack cried out and vomited heavily into the sink, clutching the counter.

“There, it’s alright…” Kozmotis used his powers to bring Jack a glass of water as he rubbed his back. Jack coughed into the sink and turned on the water to rinse everything down.

“Ugh…” He took the water and sipped on it, working through lingering waves of nausea.

“Better?” Jack hung his head.

“Yeah…” He was still dizzy, but his thoughts and vision were already starting to clear. “I- … ugh, I’m sorry… and it’s- it’s okay, really, I… I switched the drinks.” Kozmotis gave him a questioning look.

“The kids weren’t drinking cough syrup?”

“No, they were drinking grape juice and vinegar. I took the medicine away.”

“What about what you were drinking?” Kozmotis gestured to the sink.

“Uh, I had… yeah, I had NyQuil. And vodka…” Kozmotis blinked a few times, trying to control his disgust and shock.

“How much did you have?” Jack counted slowly on his fingers.

“Three… no, four. Four bottles of NyQuil. And… a bottle of… which one was it? Something top shelf. Grey Goose, I think.” Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to get the smell of rancid grapes out with the water.

“Let’s agree right now that you’re not to do that again.”

“Yeah, no, oh, no… that- my stomach feels like I scrubbed it with a wire brush.” Kozmotis refilled his water and summoned a jar of mints.

“Drink that and take one of these.”

“Ooh…” Jack leaned over the sink, afraid there was more. Kozmotis shook his head.

“You worry me, you pathetic, adorable thing.” Jack glanced up with a half-hearted glare and shushed him, still a little slurred. “Take your time. Remember, Jack. You’re not a DJ. You’re not a nightclub manager.” He stood behind Jack and met eyes in the mirror. “You’re my ice queen. You’re royalty.”

“Unofficially,” Jack chuckled.

“But you are.” He kissed his cheek. Jack re-cast the ice crown with a humble smile. “There. Like that. You must keep your dignity about you, even if you’re going to surround yourself with children.”

“Thank you,” Jack said, leaning back into him.

“You did tell me to keep an eye on you.”

“Mm. I’ve got an idea. I could throw a karaoke event for the kids. Just for a day. I could sit back and hand over the reins, just supervise.”

“That’s good. You can take a bit of a break,” he encouraged.

“And no more drugs. I’ll find a way to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“At least do some research on it so you know the risks. I should have some books on substances and their effects.”

“All right. You do that, and I’ll be getting back to work. Club. Party. I mean the club. And stuff,” Jack said quickly as he caught himself.

“Oh, you mean your _job?_ As in, a responsibility?” Kozmotis prodded.

“Oh, go suck an icicle. Find me those books, you cosmic pain in the ass.” Jack flinched as Kozmotis smacked him in the rear again.

“Yes, love,” he said in a patronizing tone. Jack watched his billowing cape and robes as he left.

“So regal… I guess that’s what I need to start doing.” Jack cast a portal and reached through to collect his cloak. He pulled it on and looked at himself in the mirror. He tilted his head and then wet his hands as he got another idea. He slicked his hair, letting it spike in the back. It stayed for only a moment before bursting back into place in a limp mess around his head. He shook it out, laughing. He decided to take the long way back to the club, walking through the halls of Nightfall and shifting through shadows. Jack spent the next few hours learning bits of Polynesian and other island languages as nighttime passed over the Pacific.

Kozmotis wound through the library, looking for books on medicine and drugs. He knew he had put them somewhere either in science or spirituality. As he searched, Jack’s words came back to him. _“You’re my ice queen. You’re royalty,”_ he had said, and Jack had responded, _“Unofficially.”_ What was that supposed to mean? Was he overthinking things, or was Jack implying they weren’t as committed as they should be? Did Jack want more? Kozmotis wondered if he, himself, were even ready for more. He had allowed his last family to be ripped apart by darkness. Had that left him with a fear to try again? He ran his fingers over book spines as he walked past shelves. He did see Jack as his queen, as an equal. Maybe he deserved something more solidly symbolic, despite their short time together.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another spirit was attending the master of a kingdom. Rhea had come to Toothiana’s aid when she felt the powerful shockwave of Jack’s dark magic. Tooth wasn’t physically injured, but her confidence was shattered, and she was still in shock. Rhea arrived less than an hour after Jack kicked Tooth out of the club, and Tooth had rushed to her arms, sharing everything without prompt.

“I see,” Rhea said, sitting with Tooth leaning on her shoulder. The fairies played in her wild hair as she stroked Tooth’s head. “Jack thinks he’s doing the right thing, does he? He doesn’t understand the void’s power, though. It’s waiting. I can feel it. Something big is going to happen, and we need to be ready for it.”

“How do you mean?”

“I spoke with the Man in the Moon a few days ago because I was getting impatient about approaching Jack Frost. He gave me a somber warning that no matter what, we’re probably going to lose.”

“Did he say why?” Tooth wiped her face and sat up straighter with a worried look.

“He said there are two possibilities right now. Either Jack falls completely to darkness and the void absorbs the unimaginable power in his star soul, creating an unstoppable beast that will consume Earth in darkness again… or, Jack is able to shine through the darkness and overcome the void. Purify himself and separate. Tsar said he saw Jack try to purify himself, and that he knows the boy could be successful with enough concentration.”

“That seems like the much better option.”

“You would think so. But if Jack is not possessed by darkness, the void will look for its next host. It’s a parasitical creature. That’s why it took my father. That’s why it took me. That’s why I- …” Rhea caught herself. “That’s why Pitch knew he could trade himself for Jack and be free from the void. Without a host, darkness runs rampant. It’s unpredictably destructive.”

“What if we could trap it? Wasn’t that part of General Pitchiner’s job, to watch over the darkness and keep it contained?”

“It was, and look how well that turned out,” Rhea scoffed.

“But if we’re ready for it this time, couldn’t we contain it? If we got Jack to free himself and we were there with him, ready to trap the void?”

“The only ones with that kind of power are my father and Tsar. We wouldn’t be able to control the spread of darkness. We would just be collateral damage. And… I don’t trust Man in the Moon.”

“Why not?”

“There’s something… off about him. Maybe he doesn’t like that I was attached to the void and abandoned my post for so long, but the way he spoke was dismissive and apathetic. Like he didn’t care what happened to Jack. Now, the little ice-hole isn’t my favorite person either, but-”

“But he has perfect teeth,” Toothiana sighed, getting dreamy eyes. Rhea snapped in her face.

“But. He’s going to die if we don’t help him. He has too much contrasting power in his body right now. The void is infinite, and his soul is a massive, hyper-dense star. I fear if he stays possessed for too long, the darkness will kill his soul, and he’ll go supernova on all of us.”

“This is so much,” Tooth pressed a hand to her head. “So, we have to get Jack away from the darkness, but we also have to contain the darkness. But _we_ can’t be the ones to do it.”

“No. And with Tsar out of the picture and, in my opinion, kind of useless, the only person who can do it is my father.”

“Then let’s go talk to him! He’s still with Jack, I saw him!” Tooth jumped into a hover, her wings buzzing excitedly. Rhea gave her a pained look.

“It is the best solution. But… if he fails… he becomes Pitch Black again. I don’t want to lose my father again. Right now, I have a small chance to eventually be with him again. If he ever forgives me…”

“Why would he need to forgive you? Didn’t he get Jack to take the darkness for both of you?” Rhea bit her lip and looked away. Tooth’s eyes widened. “Pitch… didn’t… feed Jack to the darkness… did he?” Rhea shook her head and covered her face, tensing up.

“No… I did… That’s why Tsar doesn’t trust me… He knows, somehow, he knew,” she cried softly. “I just wanted my father and my freedom back! I didn’t think he’d… care… so much… I had been listening to the darkness for weeks. I knew what Pitch was planning. He wanted to use Jack Frost against you all because he had underestimated his power in the last battle. Right… right up until the end, when I couldn’t see him anymore… I couldn’t hear his thoughts. The fearlings couldn’t reach him. I didn’t know his feelings and his plans had changed.”

“North kept Pitch and Jack imprisoned in his Workshop for a week and a half to prevent any damage to Christmas. The barriers must have prevented you from sensing him.”

“I didn’t know he’d fallen for Jack. I just saw him as the best solution.”

“What you did was wrong, very wrong. Jack is a compassionate and loyal friend… but… I know you did it to be with family again. I understand that. I’d do anything to have my parents back,” Tooth said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That being said, we have to fix this. You know that. Jack deserves any chance we can give him to return to normal, especially if you’re right about the void holding back. It must just be letting him think he has control to keep his guard down.”

“Likely,” Rhea agreed. “If we’re going to talk to Jack and my father, though, I think we should all go. I’ll talk to Bunnymund. You talk to Sandman?”

“I will,” Tooth nodded.

“I know Tsar said to wait until he had a chance to speak with Jack, but I just- I just don’t trust him.”

“Okay,” Tooth agreed. “I believe you. Maybe it’s time we made some decisions on our own,” she said with a nervous look. Rhea stood and hovered into the air.

“I’ll send word when I have Bunny’s position.” Tooth waved as Rhea took off for Easter Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJkj3DgW8Y0
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not support/encourage/condone the underage use of alcohol or abuse of prescription/recreational/synthetic/over-the-counter drugs. All mentions in this story are for entertainment purposes only. If you find yourself having issues with these substances and are lacking a cosmic General to help get you on your feet, please seek help: 1-800-662-4357, https://fherehab.com/addiction19-lp/?lkw=substance%20abuse%20hotline&utm_source=google+cpc&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google+FHE-A&lag=Google+FHE-A+-+Substance+Abuse+Hotline&lmt=e&las=1&invsrc=455307&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSqLL-kyh2eBfZb5p1RGDOcT7pmlPMLbnScqKd3jt0AhXkn_y_u9caAaAr19EALw_wcB
> 
> Thank you as always to my fantastic Frostlings <3 take care of each other out there- it's a crazy world <3


	61. It's All Fun and Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, my Frostlings! Today's promised double feature- Chapters 61 and 62!

**Ch. 61- It’s All Fun and Games…**

It took Rhea three days to travel to the island due to numerous stops to attend her own duties curing bits of the Earth and restoring balance to nature. When she was finally able to get Bunny to listen, he didn’t believe what she had to share.

“Jack did what!” Bunnymund nearly dropped the two eggs he was painting in one hand.

“He… created a nightclub,” Rhea repeated.

“What, like a real nightclub? Like a business?”

“Consider who we’re talking about here and think about the kind of place he would make,” Rhea said. Bunny was slightly distracted as she paced and little flowers grew where her feet had been. He had a hard enough time keeping moss levels down in The Warren. “He set a web of illusion spells and created an extension of Castle Nightfall that connects to the human world through a tree in Central Park.”

“And Tooth was the one who found this?” Bunny set his supplies down. “Or, her fairies?”

“Yes. They reported missing children on their tooth collections, and when she went to investigate, she found Jack in a magic nightclub full of kids.”

“What about Pitch?” Bunnymund frowned.

“Pitch is gone. I told you all, Jack took the darkness for us.” The Pooka could smell her anxiety and hopped up closer, standing just a bit taller than her.

“You told us Pitch sacrificed Jack to the darkness to free you both.”

“That might not have been exactly what happened,” Rhea said quietly. Bunny scoffed and shook his head.

“Right. Right. First, we hear from Man in the Moon that you’re trying to wipe out mankind with a plague, then when we finally see you again, you come cryin’ wolf with some story about Pitch corrupting Jack when we seen how much he cares about the kid… do ya take me for some kinna drongo?” He was visibly ruffled. He didn’t like liars, and he especially didn’t like not knowing what was really going on with Jack.

“Just, listen, I’ll tell you everything straight this time,” Rhea said, putting her hands out.

“Ah, no. I trust you about as far as North’s elves could throw ya. I’ll see what this is about for m’self,” he grumbled. He hopped off down a tunnel and she hurried to keep up with him.

“Aster, wait! I did it for my father!” Bunny stopped in his tracks and turned back slowly.

“You did what?” He eyed her.

“It was me. I tricked Jack into accepting darkness. But I didn’t think he meant anything to my father! I thought he was just baiting an enemy!” Rhea yelped as Bunny shoved her against the wall of the tunnel, a boomerang against her neck. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was wearing a small, beaded bracelet.

“I can’t believe you,” he growled. “You shonky little sheila!” He released her before he could act on his anger. She straightened herself and regained her dignity then folded her hands behind her back.

“I understand what I did was wrong. I did it with the facts I had at the time. What matters right now is that Jack is a danger to himself and everyone around him. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to restore the balance and protect Earth.” Bunny was trying to keep up.

“Hold- slow down. What kind of danger we talkin’ here?”

“The planet-destroying kind. Stars and the void don’t mix. One will overpower the other eventually. My guess is he hasn’t figured that out yet.”

“So, not only did you put m’best mate in harm’s way, ya turned him into a cosmic bomb.”

“And I’m trying to do everything I can to cut the fuse,” Rhea said. “We can’t let Jack succumb fully to darkness. We have to get him to stop using it and feeding it.”

“I need to see this for m’self. And you need to get out of my tunnels before I send the trolls after you.” Bunnymund knew the threat was meaningless; Rhea could crush his entire island if she focused hard enough, but the message got across regardless.

“Just don’t be too surprised when you get there. He might be a little different than you remember.” She bowed her head in tense farewell and left. Bunny was worried for Jack and thumped a tunnel to Central Park without another thought.

During Rhea’s three days of travel, Jack started taking his not-job more seriously. He tried to stick to feeding only from the children who used the thriller theater and new haunted house room. He organized a full-day karaoke club and then had to expand. He shifted everything down and created a new floor just for karaoke with different sizes of stages in rooms separated by glassy ice so kids could find the space and genre they liked best. Kozmotis liked when Jack joined the fun. It didn’t matter if it was a serious vocal song or a goofy pop beat; he felt reassured when Jack’s light shone through his passionate performances. His best song so far, in Koz’ opinion, was “Death of a Bachelor,” the lyrics of which he knew he was overthinking as a big hint-drop. Jack was still himself, despite the darkness, Kozmotis was convinced. He was having fun, pursuing something he enjoyed, and he was taking care of the children. He had made time to read the books Kozmotis dug up on different types of substances and their effects, and he had given the fearlings specific instructions to make sure the more dangerous types didn’t make their way to the club. Kozmotis was currently looking for Jack. He hadn’t seen the sprite for most of the break of night over the Atlantic and was starting to get worried. In a speak-of-the-devil manner, Jack appeared from shadows with a bright and enthusiastic smile.

“KOZ!” Kozmotis smiled gently and patted his face.

“There you are.” Jack deflated slightly. “Were you trying to sneak up on me?” He smirked.

“No,” Jack pouted. “Maybe. Come here, I want to show you something!” He tugged on the other’s arm.

“Alright,” he chuckled. “Where have you been the past few hours?”

“Working on a new project!”

“Another one?”

“Just an idea.” He dragged Kozmotis to the DJ booth where there was a new, extended display with a glowing hand image. “Touch it,” Jack said, eyes wide with excitement.

“Why do I feel like it’s going to shock me or spray silly string in my face?”

“It’s- what! No! It’s not a prank machine! C’mon, please!” He bounced on his toes.

“If this is a prank, I’m going to flog you again.”

“Promise?” Jack snickered, biting his lip. Kozmotis placed his hand on the screen and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for something to hit him in the face. Suddenly, the music in the club stopped, creating a strange and awkward three-second silence. Then, a new song started. An 80’s synth beat started like they were in a bad rom-com. Jack gaped at Kozmotis. “What the- what did you do to my club! I thought it would be opera or something! Ahhh, what is this!” Jack covered his ears. Kozmotis looked around and listening to the song.

_“Watching in slow motion, as you turn around and say… Take my breath away. Take my breath away!”_

“This isn’t bad,” Kozmotis shrugged. “I think I like this, actually. Yes, I quite like it. What is this?”

“My weakness! Eighties ballads!” Jack said, dramatically falling to the floor in fetal position.

“Then what did we dance to at the Christmas party?” Kozmotis teased.

“Shh, no one needs to know about that,” Jack said, sitting up quickly. “I’m just making fun of you, anyway.” He jumped back to his feet. Some of the kids had started to slow dance together. “Aw, that’s cute.”

“Are you going to explain your project?”

“Right! It’s a mood-synthesizer. I isolated the part of the puppet spell that determines what someone thinks is happy or fun, and I combined it with my music library to make a computer that spits out the song that best suits you the moment you touch it. So, if you touched it again, it would probably be a different song now.”

“Interesting.” Kozmotis grabbed Jack’s hand suddenly and placed it on the scanner.

“Hey, hey! I’m being violated!” Jack tried to pull away, but it was already too late. A fast boots-and-cats beat started and Jack started to wither inside. “Oh no…”

_“Fer sure maybe! Fer sure not! Fer sure eh, fer sure bomb!”_

“This seems like you,” Kozmotis said, bobbing his head.

“You’re so embarrassing… let me go…”

_“Look at the mess we made tonight! Kick off your stilettoes, kick off your stilettoes and fuck me in the backseat, fuck me in the backseat!”_

“Oh and mine was bad? This is horrible,” Kozmotis laughed. “Let’s do that again.” He lifted Jack’s hand and put it back down.

“Stop it!” Jack floated up, comically trying to pull his hand out of Kozmotis’ grip with both feet on his wrist. An older synth beat came on with hard, fast piano this time. “NO!” Jack cried out.

 _“Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods? Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?”_ Kozmotis let Jack go, laughing so hard he was leaning on the booth. Jack flew back a little with the force of his pull and covered his face, laughing but embarrassed as Bonnie Tyler belted his soul’s calculated desires. _“I need a hero!”_

“I’m holdin’ out for a hero ‘til the end of the night!” Jack burst out, singing along in a hover. “He’s gotta be strong, and he’s gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight!” Kozmotis couldn’t stop laughing. Jack kept jamming, stealing the show once more as the kids danced through the shifting music. “Larger than liiiiife,” he sang, wrapping his arms around Kozmotis’ shoulders.

“You are adorable,” he chuckled.

“And you’re a royal pain.”

“This is a clever idea. I like it,” Kozmotis said as Jack released him. “But, uh… hearing that first song… makes me think you want something,” he grinned, backing Jack into the booth. “I think it’s break time,” he said, stealing a kiss.

“I could pencil you for an appointment,” Jack said with a flirty wink.

“How about a quarter after now?” Kozmotis pulled Jack through a portal and made quick work of his energetic sprite.

While Jack was away and distracted, though, the fearlings weren’t as careful with their instructions. A trio of German teens managed to bring their own idea of fun in a couple of brown canvas backpacks. Having been to the club before, they went straight to a side room and used the ice to make a lounge with benches, booths, and tables. They laid blankets across everything and started playing cards to wait for the rest of their friends to arrive. Kozmotis made sure to return Jack to the club in a timely manner, clean and sated and happy, and it just so happened to be right on time for Bunnymund’s arrival. Two long, furry ears poked out of the ground in front of Jack’s tree, and a boomerang went flying out ahead of Bunny, knocking out the fearling “bouncers.” He caught it as it whizzed back to him and marched through the ornate door, his eyes set and determined. He was a picture of strength and dignity until he slipped on the floor and went tumbling down one of Jack’s ice slides with a high-pitched yelp. He landed in a pile of snow and popped out disgruntled and frustrated. He burst into the club ready to break everything up, but he was stuck in the introduction illusion spell.

“Alright, Jack! You think you’re real slick, don’t you!” Jack watched Bunnymund walk right past him, talking to the illusion-Jack on stage like Tooth had done. He covered his mouth to keep from giving himself away as Bunny proceeded to yell at the illusion. Kozmotis looked over, surprised, and went to Jack’s side.

“Were you expecting company?”

“No, they seem to like just showing up unannounced. It’s kind of rude,” he said haughtily.

“Indeed,” Kozmotis agreed.

“But I can handle it. Will you finish my round of the rooms so I can talk to him?”

“Certainly, love.” Kozmotis kissed his head and then went to finish Jack’s normal round of the club to ensure safety and fun. But what he found was disheartening and little angering. When he returned from his round, looking around wildly for Jack, he found the sprite playfully hiding from Bunnymund. After the illusion spell had dissolved, Bunny had gone on a rampage looking for Jack, and none of the children would tell him that Jack was darting around, hiding right behind Bunny or a piece of ice furniture at every turn. “Jack!” Kozmotis snapped, pulling him away from his game. “We need to talk. Now.”

“What, but I’m messin’ with- why do you look so angry?” Jack felt himself shrinking. Kozmotis led him to the hall so they could talk at a normal volume.

“One of your rooms is full of German teenagers doing lines of cocaine and popping ecstasy. And I’m almost certain that’s not all they brought.”

“Oh, man… I knew I shouldn’t have trusted the fearlings would find everything…”

“I don’t think they’re obeying you at all, Jack. There are bags and bags of it in there!”

“Okay, well don’t freak out! I don’t need a panic mob!”

“I’m not freaking out. I’m trying to hold you to your word. You said you wouldn’t allow it. Go take care of it before someone gets hurt.” Kozmotis pretended not to notice that the darkness was swelling in thick shadows behind Jack and his cloak was turning black again.

“No one’s going to get hurt. I know what I’m doing.” The fearlings’ voices suddenly grew stronger in his mind. Kozmotis could see his increasing struggle to concentrate.

“You know what… I should- you just deal with Aster. I’ll take care of them. Quietly.”

“No! It’s my club, you just told me to fix it!”

“And I realize it might be a little too much for you. You’re hosting a guest right now.”

“Too much? Too much for me to handle?” Jack flinched and rolled his neck, unable to fight off the voices buzzing in his head. The fearlings had grabbed onto a single pocket of uncertainty and were beating it until it burst like a piñata- they told him Kozmotis didn’t trust him, they told him he was a failure for letting the kids have drugs, they told him it didn’t matter if the kids did drugs, that the point of the club was to have fun and be free, that it’s not like they would die, and if they did, they could just be fearlings. Clearly, they were using drugs to get away from something. Naughty children. Naughty children have to be punished. What better way than to let them crash and burn in their own consequences then join Jack’s army of dark fearlings, and have fun forever?

“Jack?” Kozmotis realized that Jack hadn’t been listening for at least a full minute now. His breathing was shallow. “Jack, fight it. Don’t listen to them. Look at me.” Kozmotis bent down, meeting eyes with Jack. Jack snapped back and shoved Kozmotis away.

“Stop telling me how to run my club. This is my creation, my responsibility, and I’ll run it how I please. I don’t need you nagging at me about consequences, and I can change my mind if I want to. You’re supposed to be my partner, so stop trying to be my parent. You missed your chance for fatherhood, remember?” Jack hissed, his words dripping like poison and his eyes so dark his white irises looked like tiny rings around the pupils. He brushed past Kozmotis to check the room himself. Kozmotis leaned against the wall, fully injured by Jack’s harsh words. His fingers melted through the ice as he trembled with anger and conflict. He knew that wasn’t Jack. Jack would never speak to him that way, and he was overreacting adversely because of darkness. But that knowledge didn’t change the pain. He had to work to control the urge to scream at Jack and demand an apology. He turned and stormed down the winding stairs to Nightfall, putting distance between them before he accidentally destroyed everything Jack had created.

Jack knew there was something wrong with what he’d said, but he couldn’t actually remember the words he’d used. All he knew was that he was irritated, hungry, and something in his chest kept throbbing painfully. He needed some fun, and he probably needed to feed, he realized. He opened the door to the lounge and was greeted like a king by the mostly German group. They welcomed him in and proudly showed everything they’d brought. Jack grinned. They’d brought enough to have quite a bit of fun.

“Es ist alles Spaß und Spiel, bis jemand verletzt wird (1),” he said with a wicked smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- all translations done with Google and minimal research...
> 
> ** Translations: (1) It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for any spoilers, but trigger warnings are necessary:  
> \- drug abuse/bad trip  
> \- sexual harassment/ attempted rape  
> \- nonconsensual contact
> 
> What happens when Jack loses control of the darkness...?

**Ch. 62- … until Someone Gets Hurt.**

Jack faked a smile as he looked around, inspecting the room. “There are not ‘bags and bags’ of drugs in here… there are two bags,” Jack muttered to himself. He recognized some of the German teens and a few of their Scandinavian friends. He frowned as he saw one lean over and do a line like a washed-up celebrity. One of the Germans, Ralph, wrapped an arm around Jack’s shoulder and shook him a little, asking him what was wrong and encouraging him to join them. Jack took a deep breath. He could have overlooked little bits. Tiny, harmless amounts. But the sheer quantity the kids had brought was dangerous. They had enough to kill and a welcoming attitude that was sure to get someone hurt.

He wanted to join them. He wanted to have fun. He didn’t want to crash their party or disappoint, and the fearlings certainly wanted to see something bad happen. His ears rang and his head throbbed with their whispering, nagging voices. Jack led Ralph away and picked up one of the backpacks as he walked past. He took him to a corner booth, obstructed and separate from the rest of the room. He conversed with Ralph in fluent German and gave him an ultimatum.

“You can either give up these bags and keep whatever is left on the tables out there, or you can pack up your things and take your friends and never come back to my club.”

“I thought your club had no rules,” Ralph said, crossing his arms.

“I have one rule. Have fun. Can’t have fun in a hospital. Or dead. Dead people don’t have any fun,” Jack said. As he was negotiating with Ralph, Bunnymund kicked the door in. Jack was too deep in the room to notice. Two of the German kids closer to the door stared at Bunny with wide, dilated eyes, and both assumed they were hallucinating. They started giggling uncontrollably, pointing as they realized they could both see the six-foot rabbit. He marched over and slammed a hand on their table, though the impact was soft.

“Listen here, I need to find Jack Frost. Where is- what are you doin’, mate?” One of the teens was running a hand up Bunnymund’s arm.

“Ohhh, weiches Kaninchen (1)!” Bunny snatched his arm away.

“No one… _pets_ the Easter Bunny!” He growled. “How does Jack do it? I couldn’t take be surrounded by kids like this constantly,” he mumbled, running a hand over his head as he tried to stay calm.

“Jack?” One of them perked up.

“Yes, Jack Frost. Where is he?”

“Ah… mein Englisch no mush good, aber… Jack? BlackJack?”

“You got a thick accent… Yes, Yack,” Bunny scoffed, “Where is he?”

“BlackJack was just here. Er wird bald zurück sein (2),” he shrugged.

“I can’t- I can’t understand you, mate…”

“He vill be back soon. You come, sit. Relax with us. Mein Name ist Jorgen,” he offered a hand as he scooted deeper into the blanketed booth. Bunny took a seat, dwarfing both the teenagers still, and shook his hand.

“How old are you?” Bunny looked between both of them.

“Was?” The kid across from him stared with his head lolled over.

“You alright, mate?”

“Du siehst besorgt aus! Trink das (3).” The kid pushed his drink across the table towards Bunny. “Trink. Es wird dich glücklich machen (4).”

“Trink… drink? Oh, for me? Alright.” Bunnymund took the glass. It had no odor, so he assumed it was just water and downed it quickly. Chasing after Jack had him parched. “And you say Jack’s coming back here?”

“Ja, ja, entspannen, der Osterhase (5).” While Bunnymund waited with the Germans in the front, Jack was carefully toeing the line between cautious club manager and lecturing parent. After a while, he was able to convince Ralph to get the bulk of the drugs out of the club.

“And if I ever catch you bringing drugs into the club again,” Jack warned, “I’ll plunge into your darkest nightmares and torture you until you’re nothing but a fearful husk begging to be released.” Ralph saw danger in Jack’s eyes and aura as the darkness rose around him and beady little fearling eyes peeked out hungrily from the corners.

“Yes sir,” Ralph agreed, a little shaken by the visual.

“Good.” Jack smiled and the darkness and fearlings all disappeared. He pushed the backpack into Ralph’s arms and shoved him out towards his friends. Ralph grabbed one of the boys he’d come with and started explaining that they needed to pack up, and quickly. Jack wandered away, supervising but not wanting to exert any more pressure. One of the Scandinavians looked up from the floor, obviously under the influence of something, and offered Jack a piece of “gum.” He wasn’t really thinking as his eyes fell on a pair of furry ears sticking up over a booth. “Uh, sure, yeah.” He reached down blindly and was handed a brightly colored strip of paper carrying an extremely strong strain of LSD. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to confront Bunny eventually, and placed the strip in his mouth. He chewed on it for a moment as he walked over to Bunny thinking it didn’t have the right consistency, but everything happened too fast for him to realize what he’d put in his mouth. The kid across from Bunny had pointed Jack out, and Bunny had turned before Jack was even at the table. He was up and out of the booth in a split second, glaring Jack down. Jack balled up the paper in his mouth and swallowed so he could talk.

“There you are.” Bunny made a show of cracking his knuckles. “I’m about ready to throw down after chasin’ yer tricks around!”

“It’s good to see you, too, Bunny,” he smirked. “Nice of you to drop by without telling me. Tooth tell you what I did to her when she showed up unannounced?”

“You little wonker! How many times you reckon you can attack a Guardian and get away with it?” He reached for his boomerangs.

“Attack? Oh no, no,” Jack laughed. “Everything I’ve done has been in self-defense. Well, except the Christmas Party. I might have taken it a bit too far there…” Jack dodged nonchalantly as the first boomerang was loosed. “See? You just tried to attack me. I have every right to defend myself now. And, we have witnesses,” Jack grinned, gesturing to the kids lounging around them. “Try not to hit them, would you? You and the others killed enough kids when you slaughtered the fearlings,” he hissed, darkness flowing in suddenly around his feet. Bunnymund flinched back, starting to feel dizzy and see in doubles. “Good. You’re still afraid of me,” Jack said with a dark laugh. Ralph placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Jack turned away from Bunny as Ralph asked about the bags and the drugs. He apologized for bringing so much and showed Jack that he was going to take the bags back through the portal. Jack looked over the tables and asked them to show their pockets and jackets. They had a few small pouches of things left, but nothing that he thought could severely harm anyone.

“Es gut?” Ralph asked.

“Ja. Nehmen Sie es weg und bringen Sie es nicht wieder (6).” Ralph nodded and grabbed a friend to help him take the bags away. Bunny stomped over.

“Are you doin’ what I think you’re doin’?” Bunny growled. “Did you just give those kids… bags- fucking _bags_ of drugs!”

“What! No! I-”

“That’s it! I’m gonna finish what Tooth couldn’t! You’re a fuckin’ basketcase, you’re out of your skull!” Jack blinked his eyes hard as Bunny turned neon pink with a bright yellow aura and pulled out two green lightsaber-boomerangs.

“Whoa…” Jack’s eyes dilated until they were almost fully black, and a few of the fearlings at his feet could feel the effects suddenly, too. Jack chuckled nervously, feeling like he was in slow motion. Ralph looked back when he heard yelling and saw the giant, angry rabbit about to attack Jack. He recognized the look on Jack’s face and whistled sharply, catching Bunny’s attention. As Bunny turned, he took a bag of white powder to the face. Ralph, a pitcher for his hometown’s baseball league, rolled his shoulder with a proud smirk as Bunny coughed, his face completely white.

“Ach! Drink, drink, fellas! Now!” He stumbled back to the table, his nose and mouth full of powder and starting to burn. They handed him another glass and snickered to themselves as he rinsed his face off and drank the rest. Jack was slowly spinning in a circle, looking around at the lights bouncing through the ice walls and giggling to himself about “snow bunny.” Ralph went to Jack’s side, trying not to laugh, and grabbed his shoulders. He asked if Jack was alright.

“Jaaaaa,” Jack said, laughing. “Hol der Rauschgiften hier raus (7)!” He urged Ralph. He nodded and rushed to get the bags out, starting to see how mixing magic and drugs could be a bad idea. Bunny leaned on the table, suddenly hyper-aware of how everything felt.

“Whoa… now I get why you were feelin’ up on me earlier,” he told the kid in the booth as he ran a paw over his own arm. “I’m… I’m so _soft!_ ” He hugged himself. “Oh, mama, my whole body is so soft!” Jack looked over to see the pink neon snow bunny rubbing himself all over.

“Wow… you need- you need help,” Jack laughed.

“What- what were we talking about before? You know what? I don’t care now. Just feel this!” He grabbed Jack’s face in both paws and locked eyes with him. “Oh, you’re soft too…” He wrapped his arms around Jack, cocooning the sprite in his mostly black cloak. “This cape thing yer wearing, and yer hair, and you- yer so soft, and I’m so soft, and we should be soft together,” he rambled, squeezing Jack tightly. Jack started to panic, not fully sure why he couldn’t move, so he slipped out from the cloak and dropped out of Bunny’s arms. He stumbled his way to the door.

“Hey! Ya big softie,” he stopped and laughed for a moment at his own joke, “come dance already! We’re supposed to be having fun!” Bunnymund followed Jack back to the dancefloor. Lilac popped up under Jack’s abandoned cloak as a large group of fearlings also went out to follow him. They were whispering nasty things again, trying to chip away at his happy façade. She joined the group but kept quiet. She still had enough of her own consciousness and sense to keep her personality.

“Jack, I feel- I gotta tell ya somethin’,” Bunny said.

“I can’t hear you over the music!” Jack said, dancing wildly.

“I said, I gotta tell ya somethin’!”

“You’re gonna smell a muffin?” Jack laughed.

“No!” Bunny grabbed Jack by his upper arms and held him still. “I… I found your bracelet. The one you gave me,” he said, holding his wrist out. “I never took it into the tunnels. It was in my room the whole time!” Jack ran his fingers over the beaded bracelet as Bunny released him. In Jack’s mind, each bead turned into separate ball of wiggly light as he touched them.

“That’s so cool…,” he said softly.

“And it’s made me think, Jack, I never said things I shoulda. I didn’t spend enough time with you. I mean, you’re my best mate, even… maybe more than my best mate,” he said, getting emotional. Jack was still watching the bracelet, eyes fixed on the nonexistent glowing balls. “Oh, my everything feels so good!” Bunny said, holding Jack close again.

“I feel the same,” Jack said, but his voice was distant because in his mind, time was moving much slower.

“You- you feel the same? About what I said?” Bunny tilted his head.

“Yeah, it’s all good,” Jack nodded slowly, his eyes going a bit lazy as he tried to focus on Bunny. “Everything’s cool…” He suddenly noticed how close Bunny was and started to worry. The fearlings found the crack of anxiety and smashed down the entire wall. Jack flinched back as Bunny’s face suddenly turned demonic with black fur, sharp fangs, and red, dripping eyes. “Ah!” He cried out and fell back. Bunny leaned forward to catch him, but Jack kept pulling away.

“No, you don’t need to be scared! Talk to me!” Jack scrambled to his feet and climbed up on stage, the glowing lights making him dizzy. Lilac sensed the fearlings were behind Jack’s increased panic, and she no longer felt fear coming from Bunnymund as he chased Jack onto the stage. Jack ran to the booth, trying to blink away the image of a six-armed vampire Pooka coming after him. Bunny swung around the corner and slipped on the ice. He threw his arms out to break his fall, and his paw landed on Jack’s new machine. The music shifted, and Bunny’s ears perked as he listened.

“Hey, this isn’t bad…” He looked over. “C’mon, Frosty, let’s dance! I think I know this song!” Jack peeked over the booth, trying to read the song the machine had picked for his friend, but everything was too bright and blurry. Bunny was dancing in a provocative manner and mouthing along to the lyrics.

_“Oh, I bet you thought I was soft and sweet! Thought an angel swept you off your feet… but I’m about to turn up the heat! I’m here for your entertainment!”_

Jack crawled out from the DJ booth, blinking hard and getting back-and-forth flashes of Bunny how he normally looked and as an acid-induced demonic nightmare. He felt uncomfortable, confused, and worst of all, afraid. Something about the way Bunny was looking at him made his skin crawl. He tried to overcome the negative thoughts with some of his usual pranks, holding out a hand to cast some slick ice under Bunny’s feet. Nothing happened. He stared at his hand, wondering when he’d grown three extra fingers, and suddenly, he was being pulled to his feet. The demon rabbit was holding him close, grinding against him to the music that was so loud from the speakers right next to them that Jack’s ears were pounding.

_“Take the pain, take the pleasure, I’m the master of both. Close your eyes, not your mind, let me into your soul! I’ma work you ‘til you’re totally blown!”_

Jack pushed against Bunny’s chest, trying to cast more ice and freeze him off, but again, nothing was working. The more he panicked, the worse his trip got.

“Get off me!” Jack writhed and kicked with little strength or coordination behind his motives.

“No, feel it, it’s alright! Feel me… feel us,” Bunny urged, riding his own wave of ecstasy-driven bliss as he ran his hands around Jack’s body and kept their torsos pressed firmly together. Lilac noticed Jack’s magic wasn’t working, and she knew something was really wrong when Jack called on darkness and it didn’t respond. The fearlings were too happy feeding on Jack’s growing fear, and they were ignoring his orders. Beyond that, there didn’t seem to be any darkness to call on. The constant flow that normally accompanied Jack on the surrounding floor and walls was patchy and thin. Jack stopped fighting Bunny and grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He panted hard and fast, terrified of the bright, terrifying images flashing across his vision. Bunny had bright red, bleeding eyes, horns where his ears should be, and black fangs poking out from his mouth and down over his lower jaw. Bunny had no idea Jack was suffering and assumed he was finally giving in to dance with him.

“No,” Jack mumbled under his breath. “I don’t like this…” But he couldn’t find the strength or balance to pull away again. Lilac tore herself away from the fearlings’ hive mind and darted off into the shadows. She wove through Nightfall quickly, looking for Kozmotis. Bunny leaned into Jack’s ear, murmuring the lyrics.

“Do ya know whatcha got into? Can you handle what I’m ‘bout to do? ‘Cause it’s about to get rough in you!” Bunnymund eyed the DJ booth and danced Jack over to it then turned him around and slammed him hard into the table next to the controls. Jack squirmed and threw his hand out, again trying to call on ice and then darkness to defend himself. Bunny pushed his head down and nuzzled him, still fascinated and overstimulated by everything he touched. Jack saw his staff next to the booth where he’d left it and threw his hand out. Twiner responded immediately, its wood freezing as Jack made contact. He started to cast when Bunny knocked it from his grip and grabbed his wrists. He pushed Jack’s hands behind his back, holding him down with one arm as he ground against him to the beat. Jack was paralyzed as he felt something very hot and very hard rubbing up against his tight pants. Bunnymund took Jack’s freeze-up as consent since he wasn’t fighting anymore.

Lilac found the golden glow of a cosmic being and fought her instincts to avoid the light. She scurried up behind Kozmotis, trying to talk, but her voice came out in strangled whispers. She circled his feet, but he didn’t seem to notice, lost in solemn pacing. Lilac skittered up the wall, unsure how to get his attention. She shivered and twitched as she felt the raw fear coming from their host. It was delicious and distracting, so she threw herself from ceiling arch and landed on Kozmotis’ head.

“What the-!” Kozmotis reached up and tried to yank her off, but she moved too fast. She crawled around his head and shoulders, chanting her whispers as fast as she could to tell him Jack was in trouble. Kozmotis paused when he heard Jack’s name. He reached up again, slowly this time, and Lilac climbed onto his arm, still whispering about Jack. He recognized her unique eye color, and his face started to fall. “Jack? What’s wrong with him?” She couldn’t communicate well enough and just gave him a long, frantic hiss. She hopped off his arm and started shifting through darkness on the floor to lead him back to the club. He raced after her, keeping up easily. “Faster.” He scooped her from the floor, and she perched on his shoulder as he ran through a portal to the dancefloor. She hissed when she saw Jack still on stage, bent over the booth. Their lower halves were hidden well, though intention was quite obvious from their positioning and the dark look in Bunny’s eyes. He was working Jack’s pants down, his own hard-on straining through his fur.

“I’ll make you feel so good,” he grinned. Jack stared off into the distance, wide-eyed as horrible, gory characters danced around his club. In place of children, he saw bloodied zombies and injured bodies twitching and leaking all over the place. Every time he made eye contact with one, he felt a full-body shiver of terror. Kozmotis was on the opposite side of the room. As he approached the stage with growing rage, he got a better view of Bunny’s exposed lust rubbing against his ice queen’s marble skin. Lilac jumped off Kozmotis, unable to stand the sheer power radiating from him. The air around him vibrated and buzzed, silencing the music in a growing radius. Kids around him were confused about why the music had suddenly stopped, and then they were afraid when they felt the strangling sensation of anger hanging in the air. They quickly gave him room as he walked up to the stage. The vibration turned into a rumble as he stepped up the stairs in the center. The speakers died suddenly, casting an awkward silence quickly followed by Kozmotis’ thick, physical fury that filled the room like a toxic gas.

“Everybody out,” he said under his breath. His quiet words rumbled through the club like an earthquake, driving the children out in a fleeing panic. Bunny looked over and froze when he saw Kozmotis, robes billowing slowly to some unseen force, pure bloodlust in his shining eyes. Kozmotis could see everything, including the position where Bunny, fully lined up, had just been about to ram something in somewhere it didn’t belong. Kozmotis lifted his hand slowly, his golden scythe forming with a sharp sound like it had been unsheathed from another dimension. “I hope you enjoyed yourself,” he said, each word shaking the air and making it hard for Bunny to breathe. “You just went from an endangered species… to extinct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Save your queen, Koz!
> 
> Song- "For Your Entertainment" by Adam Lambert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2hqlV8-N8
> 
> **Translations: (1) Soft rabbit!  
>  (2) He will be back soon.  
>  (3) You look troubled! Drink this.  
>  (4) Drink. It will make you feel happy.  
>  (5) Yes, yes, relax, Easter Bunny.  
>  (6) Yes. Take it away, and don’t bring it back.  
>  (7) Get the drugs out of here.


	63. Check

**Ch. 63- Check**

Jack had his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to block out the haunting hallucinations. He felt exposed and vulnerable and afraid, but his mind wouldn’t process anything to allow him to react. He knew someone was holding him down and that he wanted to fight back. He knew his powers weren’t working and that he felt nauseous and weak. But he also knew that everywhere he looked, gaudy bright lights and grotesque creatures invaded his eyes and threatened to attack him. When the club fell silent and Bunny stopped moving, it gave Jack a brief moment of clarity. He looked over with misted eyes to see a golden angel of death walking towards them. The light was painful and soothing at the same time. He realized whatever had been holding him in place wasn’t so heavy anymore, and he shoved himself off the table. Bunny jumped back as Jack slipped and fell to the side, smacking his head on the stool as he went down. He rolled into fetal position, clutching his head as his ears rang.

Bunnymund had started to release Jack slowly as soon as he saw Kozmotis. The threat of death was sobering and apparent in the general’s eyes before he even uttered a word. Bunny wasn’t fast enough to catch him when Jack flung himself from the table, trying to get away, and he realized very suddenly what he’d been about to do. He covered himself as Kozmotis approached, trying to urge his arousal away and tuck it back under his fur.

“Now- now hold on…” He put a hand up. “It’s not what it- er, see he was makin’ it seem like he wanted-” Kozmotis closed the remaining distance in a split second and wrapped a large hand around Bunny’s throat, pinning him to the control panel with only a fraction of his strength. He looked over at Jack, shivering and half naked on the floor, muttering in German.

“Does that look like someone who wants anything to do with you?” Kozmotis leaned more of his weight down onto Bunnymund and placed his free hand on the control panel to surround him like a cage. Jack’s song machine beeped faintly and read “Pure Evil” by Like a Storm as it started to play. Kozmotis glanced at it as music slowly rose behind them, and then he shifted his attention back to Bunnymund. “Hard to tell if you’re suffocating. Can’t see you turning blue,” he said with emotionless eyes. Bunny scrambled frantically, pushing against Kozmotis’ hold. “I’ll have to keep a souvenir when I kill the last Pooka. Maybe a lucky foot,” he hissed, leaning down harder and applying more pressure. The air around them buzzed dangerously with the energy Kozmotis controlled, but he was careful not to let it affect Jack. Bunny lifted his leg as high as he could get it and kicked at Kozmotis, knocking the wind out of him for a moment. Kozmotis had allowed the hit, if only so he could give Bunny a chance to run. He couldn’t just kill Bunnymund. He had to make the rabbit suffer for disgracing his queen. Bunnymund hopped over the control panel, hacking violently and gasping for breath. He was too dizzy to run yet.

Kozmotis walked to center stage as a fast-paced drumbeat started up. He turned his scythe so the blade dragged on the floor behind him, loud and dangerous as zapping plasma met thick, enchanted ice. He tightened the fastener on his robes as he glared down at Bunnymund. “You will beg me for death. And I might just grant it, if I feel merciful.” Bunny was about to summon a tunnel with his foot when the walls, floor, and ceiling of the club suddenly burst in golden light. Kozmotis cast a barrier spell around them to keep Bunnymund inside.

“I- I didn’t mean it!” He said, backing away quickly as Kozmotis descended from the stage slowly. “I’m not feelin’ right, those kids must have slipped me somethin’!” Kozmotis decided he could no longer tolerate Bunny’s voice and leapt into an overhead swing with the massive scythe that brushed the ceiling as it flew. As Bunny dodged to the side, Kozmotis changed direction and tossed a sucker punch through a portal to catch him in the jaw. Bunny fell to his feet and was met with a swift metal boot to the face. He crawled away and spat blood. He wouldn’t let himself go down this easily, he thought as he got back to his feet and shook it off. Kozmotis spun the scythe at his side slowly, building momentum for the next round.

Bunnymund lifted his fists, ears tucked back and ready to fight. Kozmotis always liked a good challenge, but in this state, the rabbit was dust in the wind. He let go of his scythe, letting it hover in place, and decided to scrap with Bunny instead. He threw fast blows, his arms moving faster than Bunny could keep up with. Bunny only managed to block about half, and he couldn’t get enough space between them to kick-box like he usually would. He swept Kozmotis’ feet and took him to the floor, but he was at a disadvantage in wrestling as well, especially since his fur stuck to the ice in places. Kozmotis rolled until he straddled Bunny, the other’s stomach against the floor. He grabbed his ears and smashed his head into the ice multiple times until Bunnymund was able to twist out of his group and finally land a kick.

Jack was able to regain some of his sense now that there were fewer things to affect his trip. He reached down and fixed his clothes slowly, and he realized as water dripped down his face that he’d been crying. He wiped his face and rolled to his knees. He didn’t notice he was trembling violently until his arms almost gave out holding him up. As he tried to stand, the fearlings moved in. Several rose in front of him, their glowing eyes and twitchy movements sending him right back into the trip. Jack cried out, seeing three fearlings where each single one stood. He fell back and scooted away, crawling backwards to get away from the amorphous blobs the drugs were making him see. The fearlings seemed to meld together like a lava lamp as they lunged out at him, keeping him buried in fear and drug-induced visions. Lilac was stuck in a dark corner near the glowing wall, too scared of the light to come out and help. Kozmotis looked back to see Jack leaning against the control panel, covering himself in defense as four fearlings stood in front of him, tilting their heads, watching, and whispering.

“Jack…,” he muttered, distressed by the sprite’s state of fear and inebriation. Bunny tried to get in a cheap shot while he was distracted, tossing both boomerangs at once. The wooden weapons vaporized into dust before they could touch Kozmotis, and he looked back at Bunny with a glowing, golden glare.

“You disgust me. We’re done playing.” Suddenly, Kozmotis was flying after Bunny, swinging the massive scythe at impossible speeds. Bunny was only inches ahead of him, running and hopping around the walls of the club, trying to figure out how to fight back without his weapons.

 _“How does it feel? How does it feel! The day has come to pay for what you’ve done!”_ The music played louder around them as though fueled by the general’s rage. Jack whimpered, suffering through hallucinations and the fearlings’ hateful, degrading whispers. They told him he was a failure, the club was a failure, and that he deserved to be treated like Bunny’s whore for how he had spoken to Kozmotis. One of the fearlings grabbed his hair while another grabbed at his ankle, influencing his trip as Jack imagined Bunny was back, pulling at his body and clothes.

“No! Stop!” Jack sobbed, kicking and pushing away at air where he saw the visions. Kozmotis cast golden plasma balls to knock the fearlings away from Jack, giving him a slight reprieve. He tortured Bunny through withheld attacks, chasing him around the club, swiping his blade and pulling back at the last second to just barely brush the Pooka’s fur- just enough to scare him into running a little faster- just enough that every second that passed made him fear a little more for his life. The fearlings skittered away from Jack as he curled up tighter, and they started to go after Bunnymund instead. Bunny realized a few minutes in that Kozmotis was keeping his word to stretch this out; he certainly could have delivered a fatal strike by now. He spun around and tried to match blows, aiming a kick for Kozmotis’ chest as he flew towards the wall. Kozmotis grinned and made the scythe disappear. His form changed as he illuminated like a breaking dawn, and Bunnymund’s flying kick went him straight through where Kozmotis had been. Bunny rolled to the floor and whipped around, but Kozmotis was gone. Suddenly, it felt like he was burning from the inside out. Jack opened his eyes to see Bunny glowing gold like he’d swallowed a million fireflies. Kozmotis possessed him and took control of his molecular structure. He clenched Bunny’s fists and threatened to tear apart every atom in his body. Bunnymund screamed and collapsed as Kozmotis released him. Every piece of his body was in shockwaves of pain as his nervous system tried to catch up with and repair what had just happened. Before Bunny could fully recover, Kozmotis mentally took hold of his body. Now, he was familiar with the molecules. He had felt and invaded every atom in the few seconds he had possessed the Pooka. He lifted a hand, and Bunny rose to his feet with a pained look.

“Jack’s not the only puppeteer,” he said quietly. He pulled a curved, golden dagger from his waistband and held it out, and with the other hand, he forced Bunnymund to walk forward and take it from him. Bunny’s whole body screamed in pain at each movement, still recovering from the possession and now reacting to being controlled. He was glad he couldn’t move his mouth. Without his voice, he could maintain his dignity even as his eyes watered from the pain. “You’re going to leave here. You’re going to take that dagger and plunge it into your body up to the hilt. You’re going to twist it, slowly, until someone tells you to stop. The longer you take to follow my orders, the more fatal the wound will be, so choose your destination wisely and get there fast if you want to live.” Kozmotis wanted to imprison him, torture him, and never let him go, but right now, Jack was his biggest concern. More than he wanted to teach Bunnymund a lesson, he wanted to comfort his queen and nurse him back to health. Kozmotis grabbed Bunny’s jaw in one hand, gripping it with bruising force. “If you ever come near Jack again, I’ll skin you alive and make him a nice little hat and some fur-lined gloves. And I’ll keep you alive long enough to watch him put them on and thank me for the gift.” He didn’t need to confirm understanding. He made a portal and summoned his scythe back, then he used the blunt end to shove Bunnymund through with a hard thrust to the gut. Bunny rolled out into fresh snow among the bushes in Central Park. Jack’s emotional and mental state had summoned a blizzard that was bringing in heavy snowfall and whistling gusts that bent the trees over dangerously. Bunny gripped the dagger tightly and stared at it. His arm jerked forward, and he had to stop himself with his other hand.

“Fuck!” He had to think fast before he stabbed himself in the snow and bled out with no one to help him. Holding his own arm down, he rolled to his feet, everything in his body still aching down to his nerves and bones. He thumped his foot hard to summon a tunnel to the only Guardian he knew without a doubt would be home. His tunnel put him close to the workshop, but he still had a ways to go to find North. “North!” He called as he limped into the building. “Get- get North. Now!” He barked at the yetis. When North finally heard the ruckus and came running down, Bunny was sitting on the floor next to the control panel for his globe, a golden dagger stabbed up to the hilt under his ribs, and he was twisting it as slowly as he could manage. “Norrrrth,” Bunny growled. “Tell me to stop. Please. Please tell me to stop!” He yelled. North rushed to his side and tried to move Bunny’s hands away.

“Bunny!” Bunny shoved him away, not of his own will.

“Tell me to stop!” He barked, starting to get dizzy from blood loss.

“Stop it!” North demanded, confused and angered. Bunnymund groaned as everything in him fell limp. “Get a gurney. We need to get him to the infirmary,” North said to the yetis, and they rushed off to do as he said. “What happened to you, Bunny? Who did this?”

“I went… Jack…,” he muttered. He was trying to say he went after Jack. He wanted to explain everything to North, but darkness was clouding his vision and the exhaustion kept him from thinking straight as he passed out. “BlackJack…”

Kozmotis approached Jack carefully, dimming the light of his glow as he knelt by his side. Jack started crying again as he made eye contact. Kozmotis wrapped an arm around him slowly. He made sure not to make any sudden movements as he lifted Jack into his arms. Desdemona and several of the other Lost Boys came up from the lower floor.

“Where did everybody go? Is BlackJack okay?” She asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Kozmotis said, using his own confidence to reassure himself along with the older children. “The club might be closed for a few days, but I understand you all have nowhere to go?” She shook her head. “Jack got hurt tonight. I’ll be taking over while he recovers. Do you need anything right now?”

“We have food, water. The _chupacabras_ can make portals for us,” she said, referring to the fearlings. “We be okay.”

“Good. Send one of them for me if you need anything. I’ll be deeper in the castle.” Kozmotis nodded to her and took Jack to the shower to take care of him. He dipped in and out of consciousness on the walk there, apologizing in strained whispers. “I know. I know,” Kozmotis murmured, trying to comfort him and keep him calm. “It’s alright, Jack. I’m here. I love you. I’m not going anywhere.” Jack ran a cold hand between the folds of his robes until he found the star-shaped scar on his chest, only relaxing once his fingers rested on it.

“Love you, too,” he mumbled, curling up in his king’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song link: "Pure Evil" by Like a Storm- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dw03St8NE0


	64. Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! We're closing in on the end of "Act II" or Part 2 or whatever I called it before... These are some of my favorite chapters coming up, and I love your feedback and support! Hope you enjoy!

**Ch. 64- Loyalty**

Jack saw twinkling golden lights overhead. He became aware that his arms were both over his head, spread and tingling with that waking sensation. He brushed his bangs away from his eyes and slowly leaned up on an elbow. His world spun around a few times before he caught up with it and focused on the lamp over the desk, then the flickering fireplace, and then the open bedroom door. He peeled his mouth open and rolled his tongue, and then he noticed a glass of water on the nightstand and downed it quickly. He sat up against the headboard, rubbing his head and trying to remember what happened. Vivid, horrifying flashes returned suddenly as he pulled at his memory.

“Ah!” Jack flinched as he struggled to piece things together. He remembered the German lounge and how he’d told Ralph to take the drugs away. He remembered bright lights and zombies, and some images in between. Golden eyes flashed behind his eyelids, followed by a warm sensation of comfort.

“Of course you wake up the second I step out,” Kozmotis said, coming back with a new book to read. He had left only to replace the one he just finished while Jack was sleeping.

“Koz,” Jack said in relief, his voice hoarse. Kozmotis set the book down as Jack scrambled towards him. He nearly threw himself off the bed to hug Kozmotis who caught him with a light chuckle.

“Careful, careful. I’d say you’re actually awake now with that kind of coordination.”

“How long was I out?” Jack asked as Kozmotis got on the bed with him.

“It was nighttime over Eastern Germany when I took you down to the castle…” He glanced at the clock. “Last I looked at your globe, it was nighttime over Brazil. So, almost two days?”

“Two… _days!”_ Kozmotis nodded. “What- what about the kids? The drugs? The club? The Lost Boys?”

“Shh, calm. Calm down. I took care of it. The club has been empty since I brought you down here. Desdemona has assumed general leadership of the group and took care of them while you were gone. She sent for me with the fearlings whenever they needed something she couldn’t get through the portals. They’re worried about you, though. When you’re ready, they’ll be happy to see you, but I think you should rest some more.” Jack relaxed a little and leaned against the headboard.

“Kozmotis?” Jack tilted his head. “I’m… I’m so, so sorry for what I said-” Kozmotis stopped him a few fingertips on his lips and sighed.

“Since I started keeping count, you have apologized two hundred and seventeen times. I forgive you,” he said.

“Two… hundred?” Jack chuckled nervously. “Wait, wait… what all did I miss?”

“You first,” Kozmotis said. “I’ve been waiting to find out from you exactly what happened after our… conversation.”

“Okay.” Jack sat up a little straighter. “Uh… after I said… what I did… I went into the lounge. When I saw how much the kids had brought, I took aside the one who looked like he was leading the others. Told him he could pack up the drugs and get rid of them or he could finish the night out and him and his friends would never be welcome back. I convinced him to get rid of it, and when I came back out with him, Bunny was there, waiting for me, and-” A loud sound of wood splintering stopped Jack, and he stared at Kozmotis, who was now holding a chunk of the headboard in a clenched fist.

“Please, continue,” he said, brushing his hands over the side of the bed and making the wood splinters disappear. Jack swallowed.

“Uh… he- he assumed I had given the kids all the drugs. He wouldn’t really let me talk. I was getting ready to portal us out to take the fight elsewhere but the kids, like, defended me. Bunny took a bag of coke to the face,” Jack chuckled a little. “He- he must have been there for a little bit before I came out, because he was already feeling the effects of something. He asked someone for a drink to wash off his face, and then his fight was gone. Something kicked in. Oh!” Jack’s eyes widened. “That’s when it happened!”

“What?”

“Oh, I’m such an idiot… this kid was chillin’ on the floor, offered me some gum right before I went to talk to Bunny. I wasn’t even paying attention. I thought it tasted weird when I was chewing it, and then I swallowed it to talk to him.”

“So that’s what I pulled out of your stomach.”

“Yeah, and so- wait, say what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jack made a T with his hands.

“Whoa-no-no. Time out. You pulled what out of where?”

“When it had been a full twenty-four hours and you still weren’t improving, I purged your stomach again. Three hours later, still no better, so I did a scan and found that wad of whatever you swallowed and phased my hand and grabbed it out.” Jack’s eyes were wide with shock.

“You said all that so fast and calm. Slow down and explain more.” Kozmotis held up his hand and, as he spread his fingers, his hand turned transparent. It looked like it was made of golden stardust.

“I phased my hand,” he said slowly.

“Yeah?” Jack choked.

“I reached into your stomach.”

“Oh, gross…”

“And I pulled out what I’m now certain was a blotter paper for LSD. You’re not supposed to swallow those, by the way.”

“That’s… that’s so nasty… why wouldn’t you just… make me drink something?”

“Twice when I tried to get you water, you poured it on your head and said, ‘help me, I’m melting.’ You then proceeded to laugh for about thirty minutes each time.” Jack’s face went red.

“I mean… if I was melting, you should have helped me,” he snorted.

“What happened after the confrontation?” Kozmotis redirected.

“I wanted to get him away from the lounge so the kids had a chance to get rid of the drugs, so I asked him to dance. He- he got all… emotional. I don’t remember everything specifically, but I know he was all over me. He found the song machine and started dancing all weird to it, and that’s about when I noticed my powers weren’t working.” Jack cringed as the darker memories came back. “That’s when the trip went bad… He turned into this… demon vampire thing, and all the kids were zombies. The fearlings were massive and weird… And he-” Jack froze up. He remembered being bent over the booth. He remembered his pants coming down. He shivered and hugged himself, seeming to shrink in front of Kozmotis as he remembered feeling things he didn’t want to feel. “Koz, did… did he… actually…?” Jack’s voice broke as he looked up.

“No.” Kozmotis wrapped his arms around Jack. “No, I didn’t let him do anything to you. In fact… you have Lilac to thank for that. She’s your most loyal follower.”

“Lilac?” Jack glanced up. Hearing her name, the purple-eyed fearling appeared from the darkness under the bed. She slowly peeked over and in the twitchy, fearling way, crawled over to Jack on the bedding. “Hey.” Jack spread an arm and let her up onto his lap.

“She noticed you were in trouble and came to retrieve me. If she hadn’t… If I’d come back even seconds later,” Kozmotis shook his head, withholding anger. “Aster wouldn’t have left with his life.” Jack rubbed Lilac’s head. She couldn’t help the urge to bite, gnashing her little fangs at him, so he made her a clear globe of ice the size of a softball.

“Here, bite that, not me.” Lilac curled up in his lap, chewing on the ice and making little growling noises. “So… what, uh, what happened after that? I remember flashes. Like, I remember seeing you come on stage but, I’m pretty sure you didn’t have big gold wings, right?” Kozmotis chuckled.

“No, but that’s a flattering hallucination. You hit your hard pretty hard trying to get away from him.” He was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. “I would rather spare the details.” Jack swallowed.

“Is… is he dead?”

“He was alive when I kicked him out,” Kozmotis said. “Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“What did you do?” Lilac crawled out from between them as Kozmotis hugged Jack close, stroking his head and shoulders.

“I made sure he would never touch you again. Let’s leave it at that.” Jack was concerned, but also heavily conflicted.

“That’s… kinda scary. And kinda hot, at the same time,” he muttered.

“You’re not melting again, are you?”

“No,” Jack scoffed. He leaned back as Kozmotis released him and gave a heavy, shuddering sigh. “I can’t believe I let all this happen… I thought I had some foolproof plan, and… I let the kids bring in things they shouldn’t have, I told you off for no good reason… it’s my fault. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. And I never should have said those things to you, I didn’t mean it!”

“Jack, you apologized, we can move past-”

“No! You’re the only one who’s supported me in this, helped me, protected me- I mean, I probably deserved exactly what I got… I shouldn’t have pushed you away, I shouldn’t have tried to mess with Bunny, I should have just made him leave-”

“Stop it,” Kozmotis growled, his voice low and rumbling. The vibration shook through Jack’s chest and silenced him. He grabbed Jack’s face and forced eye contact. “Look at me. You are not at fault. Nothing you did, nothing you could have done, would have ever deserved undignified treatment like that. I don’t care that you asked him to dance. I wouldn’t have cared if I came back to see you dancing with him, happy and goofing off. No one deserves to be assaulted. Especially, _especially…_ not my queen.” He wiped a tear from Jack’s cheek with his thumb. “You did your best to make the right choices, like you always have. I won’t have another word on it. Understand?” Jack nodded, and Kozmotis let go. Lilac rolled onto her back, tossing the ice ball up into the air and catching it in her claws. Jack leaned over and put his head on Kozmotis’ shoulder.

“So, um… what else did I do while you were babysitting me?” He shifted the topic. Kozmotis smiled fondly.

“You thought the shower was fire and fought me quite a bit on getting washed off. Once I got you dressed again, you spent over an hour holding a full conversation with the fireplace.” Jack snorted a laugh.

“About what?”

“About a werewolf friend you had a long time ago, and how sad you were that you couldn’t remember his name. I believe at one point you thought I was Sandman, because you started singing the song and pulling me into a sloppy dance. You rolled around on the floor for a while. You got your powers back while I was getting you something to eat- I thought it might help move things along- and when I came back, you had frozen yourself to the ceiling. When I tried to free you, you said that gravity was wrong, and you belonged on the ceiling until it fixed itself.” Jack laughed again.

“You’re making this up.”

“I’m not.” Jack looked up, laughing at himself and trying to remember. He saw the little golden lights on the canopy of the bed again.

“I remember those… I remember how pretty I thought they were. I remember them being brighter, though.”

“Oh, that?” Kozmotis glanced at the magic lights he’d put up. “You begged me to take you outside for some fresh air, so I did. Once we were outside, you said the moonlight was too bright and that you needed to be back inside. I took you inside, and you immediately started yelling at me because you said you wanted to be outside for fresh air.”

“Oh, no…” Jack covered his face in embarrassment.

“Oh, yes. You were equal parts entertaining and a pain the arse. So, I brought you to the bed and I cast some of these lights, and I told you that we were outside. You were content enough with that for a while. You terrorized the fearlings at one point. You thought they were balloons, and you told me you were trying to pop them. But, most of the time, you were laid out somewhere, gazing off into the distance with a dopey smile. It would have been cute if I hadn’t been so worried for your health.”

“Well, thank you…,” Jack said.

“You did tell me to keep an eye on you. I take that job very seriously.” Jack slid down more into the bed and under the covers, resting his head on Kozmotis’ lap. Kozmotis stroked his head, running his fingers through Jack’s hair. “Speaking of jobs…” Jack glanced up and then down and then up at him again.

“Blow job?” Kozmotis burst into a soft, surprised laugh.

“No, that’s not what I was- you tried already, so, no, thank you.”

“Wait! I did?” Jack sat up again, his face torn between horror and humor.

“This was more recent when you were sobering up finally. You said you wanted to make it up to me, and you wouldn’t take no for an answer. You chased me around until I sat down and let you.”

“So, what did you mean by ‘tried…?’ Was I unsuccessful?”

“Quite,” Kozmotis whispered, trying to contain his laughter. “You kept missing your mouth,” he chuckled. “Eventually you got frustrated and stopped.”

“Oh my- that’s… that’s… mortifying…” Jack covered his face and curled away as Kozmotis chuckled.

“It was cute. You were trying so hard. Anyway… no, by job, I meant your job. The club. What do you want to do?” Jack rolled onto his back, rubbing his face.

“I want to reopen the club. But this time, I’ll do it right. I’ll supervise what comes through the portals and set up better barriers. And I’ll need an alert system and a disarming spell for the Guardians if they’re all going to come here with a finger on the trigger.”

“I’ll help you, if that’s what you want, then. For now, you should rest. You can reopen tomorrow, perhaps.”

“Okay.”

The yetis and the village doctor had Bunnymund in a stable condition, but it was nearing the end of day two, and he still hadn’t woken up.

“He’s recovering well. It’s like he doesn’t want to wake up,” the doctor told North in his local dialect.

“Thank you for your time.” North led the doctor out and then returned to his friend’s side.

“Jack Frost has betrayed us for the last time.” He took a long look at the Pooka, sleeping with a troubled look and weeping bandages. He swiped the now-clean golden dagger from the table beside him and tucked it into his belt as he stormed out of the room. He gathered the battle yetis and briefed them on his plan of attack. They would march on Central Park with an obscuring spell followed by a powerful barrier to keep humans out. He took them down to the armory past the cells where only weeks before he had kept Jack and Pitch locked up.

“We are going against two powerful cosmic beings with almost no weaknesses. The only advantage we have is belief and element of surprise. Our goal is to take Jack Frost, shut down his club, and make him answer for what he has done to the Guardians.” Gurnth raised his arm to ask a question, looking worried. Braugh shook his head, knowing what he would ask. North knew, too, as he looked over. “We take him dead or alive. If you cannot accomplish this task, leave now. Is not for faint of heart.” The two prison guard yetis looked at each other and straightened up. Both were deeply saddened by this but had a strong sense of duty and loyalty to North that kept them in place. They looked back as several yetis left, including Jeff. After the brief, North made his way through the yetis as they geared up. He put a hand on Gurnth’s shoulder. “There is no shame in leaving. This is hard for me, too. But Jack is not the person you remember. If you stay and fight, you must be willing to stop him at all costs.” Gurnth tightened his grip on his helmet and nodded. North patted him and walked away to get his own gear. “As must I…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer, once more, I do not condone the underage use of alcohol or the abuse of prescription/synthetic/recreational drugs. All references in this work are fictional and for entertainment purposes only.


	65. Unfulfilled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR 5000 HITS! OH MY GOSSSSHHH! I'm so excited, so happy! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Now, get ready for a hefty chapter with some NSFW warning~

**Ch. 65- Unfulfilled**

Kozmotis took Jack to see The Lost Boys after a quick nap. Five more had joined the group since Toothiana’s visit, bringing the total to eighteen children living in the club. Their floor was large and made of stone like the rest of Nightfall, with several small rooms separated by walls and curtains. It looked like a large version of one of Jack’s clubhouses, with beanbags, a minifridge, games, and scattered items of interest. Three of them were playing cards at a table, and most were sleeping. Jack went to Desdemona and woke her to thank her for taking care of everyone. He got a tight hug out of it.

“I’m so happy you’re okay now,” she said with a pained smile. “We would really be lost boys without you and this place.” He hugged her back.

“I’m glad you were able to stay safely. I’m going to reassess the club and its security so this doesn’t happen again. I want this to be a safe place for you all. Do you need anything that you don’t have right now?”

“I don’t think so. The only hard thing right now is language barrier. I speak English and Spanish. The other boys know bits of English and their Middle Eastern languages. I’m learning. The new boy and girl only speak Indian,” she shrugged.

“Hindi,” Jack nodded. “I’ll see if I can find you guys some books in the different languages. Go ahead and get back to sleep. You know how to reach out to us.” He stood to leave.

“Wait, BlackJack.” He turned. “Why is it we can see you, but we can’t see the other one that well?” Jack looked at Kozmotis, standing in the threshold.

“This is General Kozmotis Pitchiner, my partner,” he said with a light line of blush across his cheeks. “You can only see us if you truly believe in us. That’s how the magic works. If you stop believing, you stop seeing. You might not even be able to see the club. It would just be an icy, stony cave. I don’t know why, but it helps to say our names.”

“General Pitchiner?” He smiled and bowed his head.

“Desdemona.” She smiled as she laid back down.

“You’re right. I can see him a little better now.”

“Lord High General of the Galaxies, if I remember correctly,” Jack said, walking over to him and running a hand down his arm.

“I’m happy enough just being your king,” he said, catching Jack’s fingers and kissing them. Jack blushed and walked out with him, content with the state of The Lost Boys and their domicile. Jack grabbed Kozmotis’ hand once they were out of view and pulled him down the hall. He backed himself against a wall and looked up at Kozmotis with shimmering eyes. Kozmotis followed the grip on his hand and placed them both beside Jack’s head, trapping him against the wall. “You look like you want something.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Ah, I see. And I… shouldn’t deny your hunger, right?” He ran his nose down Jack’s jawline and placed his lips on his neck. “Because that’s how you did it for me?” Jack shuddered and wrapped his arms around Kozmotis, nodding.

“Take me to bed, my king.”

“As you wish, my queen.” He scooped Jack into his arms bridal style and walked through a portal back to their room. He set Jack on the bed and shed his robes quickly, proudly aware of Jack’s lingering gaze. He eyed Jack’s clothed body. “Well?” He gestured to the barrier. Jack shook his head a little and quickly snatched his shirt off in a fumbling rush. “So eager,” he chuckled. He was suddenly upon Jack, pressing him against the bed and helping him with his pants. Jack flashed out of the moment suddenly, remembering a different touch pulling his pants down, and he cried out and pulled away without realizing it at first. Kozmotis drew his hands back, worried he’d hurt Jack somehow. Jack’s eyes misted as he fought the memory and met his partner’s concerned stare.

“He… he broke me… I know it’s you. I shouldn’t be afraid of you.” Jack looked irritated and determined suddenly, and he sat up and drew Kozmotis into a hasty kiss. He was frantic to erase the trauma and replace it with something else. Kozmotis put some distance between them.

“Hey, hey. Slow down. I know you want this. I’m grateful that you want me. But we should take it slow. Work you through this in a healthy way. The last thing I want is to hurt you or scare you because we go too fast.” Jack swallowed and nodded, releasing him. “Why don’t you do your clothes? It’s not like I mind watching,” he smirked.

“Pervert,” Jack scoffed, trying to move past the awkward moment. He laid back on the bed and slowly worked his pants off, blushing at how Kozmotis devoured his body with his eyes.

“It is nice to admire you.” He leaned over Jack’s bare chest and kissed down his skin slowly. “You are so beautiful. I saw it in battle, your agile grace and analytical eyes. You have a mind for strategy and a soul full of peace.” Jack melted under his words and his touch, his anxiety fading away. “I want your lips.” Jack gave them willingly, moaning softly as Kozmotis brought him into a deep but gentle kiss, pulling on his lips and exploring his mouth like it was the first time again. He ran a hand through Jack’s hair, a habit that Jack had come to yearn for and love. His legs spread slowly as Kozmotis climbed more fully onto the bed. “I love you, Jack.”

“I love you, too. We should kiss more often,” he sighed, floating peacefully in the blooming arousal between them both. “Your eyes… I have always been drawn to your eyes. They look like an-”

“An eclipse?” He said with Jack, smiling. “Maybe you’re the star behind them.” Jack went even redder in the face as he stared back, feeling like he belonged only in those glowing pools of golden light.

“Do… my eyes… bother you? Since they changed?” He asked.

“No. I think it suits you. It makes your irises look colder, like snow clouds forming in a dark and starless night. I will admit I miss the deeper blue, a little. They were like glaciers before. Now they look more like powder snow or frost. But don’t let that bother you. I wouldn’t care if you lost an eye. You’d still be beautiful to me.” He ran a hand over Jack’s face, and Jack held it there with his own.

“Make love to me,” Jack whined after a moment, nudging his partner’s hip with his knee.

“Yes, my queen.” Kozmotis offered Jack two fingers, admiring as he wrapped his cold lips and tongue around to wet them. Frost-ringed black eyes glanced up through icicle bangs as Jack went slow like instructed, sucking lightly. He could tell from the hungry glow in his eyes just that small act was driving his partner crazy, and he loved it. Kozmotis ran his free hand down Jack’s chest and ribs, fingers pressing into his favorite spots that made him arch slightly off the bed and give a small, whimpering moan. “So sensitive,” Kozmotis whispered in praise. He pulled his fingers away and ran them down Jack’s middle, ghosting his touch and watching Jack shiver in delight. He pressed in one slowly, then the second, and left them still to help him stretch. He kissed Jack again, loving how the cold felt on his tongue, and he started moving his fingers to warm him up. Jack hitched and moaned when Kozmotis found the right spot.

“There…,” he panted softly. Kozmotis wanted to make him last longer and pulled his fingers away. Jack spread his legs in wanton desire, splaying his fingers over his inner thighs to display himself for Kozmotis.

“Look at you,” he purred, his voice vibrating through the air again and rumbling through Jack’s chest. The sensation of his voice and his stare made Jack want to submit and please. Kozmotis leaned down and took Jack into his mouth, groaning at the taste of the strangely cold flesh. Jack moaned loudly, his hands going to the back of his partner’s head.

“Koz!” He writhed as Kozmotis licked at his length while sucking on it gently. Warmth pooled in his stomach, and darkness swirled around the bed in response to his emotions and ever-growing provocation. Long tendrils of shadow rose and stroked at Kozmotis’ skin- along his neck, chest, and back- as extensions of Jack’s need and hunger.

“What a strange sensation,” he commented as he pulled away and played with the head between thumb and forefinger. Jack twitched and whined.

“Tease!” He accused, his hips rolling with unbearable desire.

“I’m not done with you yet.” Kozmotis dipped down again, lifting Jack’s thigh onto his shoulder, and he licked at Jack’s cold pucker. Jack gasped and gripped the blankets, equal parts shocked and aroused.

“Koz, that’s-! I- that’s dirty…,” he whined, embarrassed but too stimulated to move away.

“No.” He kissed Jack’s thigh. “I bathed you multiple times. I know very well how clean you are. And how good your skin tastes.” He sucked a dark hickey into Jack’s inner thigh, loving how Jack squeezed his head and moaned with uncontrolled desire. He returned to Jack’s entrance, running his tongue along and inside to stretch him more. Jack’s head fell back and his voice poured out with each strained breath. He lost track of time, spinning dizzily into agonizing waves of warm desire pouring over him like an ocean tide.

“Please… Koz…,” Jack finally managed to say, his face flush down to his chest.

“Yes?” He rose and kissed up Jack’s thigh to his knee, waiting patiently for him to ask.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he whined. “I want you inside!” Kozmotis gave him a knowing smile and moved up on the bed, pulling Jack’s hips down to meet his own. Jack watched in anticipation as Kozmotis pressed in slowly, purposefully drawing it out as Jack moaned with need. “Please… please…,” Jack begged. Once he was fully seated, Jack wrapped his legs around Kozmotis and locked his ankles, unable to control the occasional jerk of his hips.

“You are precious. And beautiful. And so horny,” Kozmotis chuckled, wrapping his arms around Jack and holding them still together.

“Your fault,” Jack muttered running his hands up Kozmotis’ back, tracing muscle and scars.

“Ready?”

“Like, twenty minutes ago,” Jack pouted.

“We could take a break and come back to this in, say an hour?” He teased.

“No!” Jack held onto him tighter as though refusing to let him go. Kozmotis chuckled and kissed his neck. “I want it now…”

“Me too,” he whispered before pulling halfway out and pressing back in slowly. Jack gave a long, drawn-out moan. Kozmotis ran his hand down to the small of Jack’s back, using it as leverage as he started taking long, deep thrusts. He watched Jack’s eyes flutter closed and his lips tremble between shuddering moans.

“We should… take it slow… more often,” Jack admitted, panting softly. “You feel so good…” Kozmotis smiled.

“As do you.”

“You also never told me you could feel what the shadows felt,” Jack said as the darkness ran over Kozmotis like extra hands.

“Why do you think I always had them all over you? I wish I had those things now. I could feel all of you at once,” he said, his pace and depth unperturbed by the conversation. Jack could hardly move to keep up with his thrusts hitting just the right spot inside and his large hand pressing into his favorite spot on his back. Loud whispers started to pull him away from the moment, though. Fearlings peeked their eyes out around the edges of the room, hissing and trying to get Jack’s attention.

“What- what? I’m busy,” Jack covered his ears, cringing. “Leave us alone!” Kozmotis slowed and sat up.

“What’s wrong?” He noticed the fearlings looking down at them and raised a brow with an unamused look. “They’ve never interrupted before.” Jack focused on what they were saying, and his eyes went wide.

“North.” He saw through the fearlings’ eyes as North marched on Central Park through three separate snow globe portals with an army of yetis. “And, like, two hundred yetis. He looks angry.” Kozmotis frowned.

“How strong are your barrier spells?”

“Nonexistent. I left everything open for the kids, the fearlings, and, unfortunately, angry Guardians.”

“Jack FROST!” North bellowed. Jack covered his ears, able to hear his loud cry through the fearlings.

“I can’t let him in. I don’t know what he would do to The Lost Boys.” Kozmotis very carefully pulled away, drawing a disappointed whine from Jack. “Damn his timing.”

“We’ll send him on his way and come right back to this,” Kozmotis promised, giving him a quick kiss. Jack cast a thin sheet of ice over himself to cool off, shuddering as it affected his lower regions.

“Want me to-” He tried to offer.

“Don’t even think about it.” Kozmotis covered himself and slid off the bed. “I can manage. I wear loose clothing.” Jack rolled over and groaned loudly into the cushions.

“Why now!” Darkness blossomed around him suddenly like choppy storm waves. “I’m fucking hungry.” He slid backwards off the bed, wobbling to his feet as Kozmotis put his clothes back on. He hooked a finger under Jack’s chin and grinned down at him.

“Then put some fear in the man and feed on that.” Jack licked his lips.

“I wonder what Santa Claus is afraid of,” he said with a mischievous smirk.

“Eggplants and metal bowls,” Kozmotis answered. “I’ve no idea why.” Jack pondered as he dressed quickly.

“Hey, what do you think!” Kozmotis turned to see Jack had cast himself ice armor that looked almost identical to his old Nightlight uniform.

“Nostalgic,” he said. “But you never protected your head.” He bonked him on the head with the hilt of a sword. Jack cast an ice helmet with his crown built into it. “That’s better.” Kozmotis made them a portal that went through the bark of the tree just as North was marching up to it. Jack leapt through as he summoned Twiner to his hand. He crouched down, and Kozmotis stood behind him as the portal closed.

“You called?” Jack smirked as he stood. Tendrils of darkness crept along the grass, reaching out to North. Jack forced himself to hold down a laugh as he learned that Kozmotis was right about North’s strange fears. North backed away, swiping two swords slowly across the grass to keep the darkness at bay. Jack gave him a toothy smile.

“You are not a Guardian. You will pay for what you did to Bunnymund!”

“What I did? What I DID!” Jack emphasized it back at him and laughed hysterically. North took another step back, disturbed by what he perceived to be apathy and mania. “Koz, you hear this? He thinks _I_ attacked Bunny. You wanna- you wanna tell him what really happened?”

“General. Why are you still with the darkness!” North accused, pointing a sword. “You- you are afflicted still.”

“I can assure you, I am free from darkness. And Jack-” North pulled the golden dagger from his belt and flung it at Jack faster than he could react. Kozmotis caught it, the blade between his fingers.

“I know your weapon of choice! You have always used a dagger!” Jack stared at the dagger, caught inches from his nose, and swallowed as Kozmotis made it disappear.

“Fine,” Jack huffed. “Don’t want to talk and be civil?” Jack commanded the fearlings, several of whom skittered back into the club. The doors opened and the audio ice tunnels filtered out to the surface. “I could be mean!” Jack said before the music started, yelling the words like a war cry as he stepped out towards North and his small army. “I could be angry! You know I could be just like you!” Then, the music blasted from the tree so loud it shook the ground. Jack put both hands on his staff and cast spikes in every direction, circling himself and Kozmotis, putting a barrier between himself and the yetis, and even casting tiny ones that lined down his armor like studs. Darkness flowed around him like a haunting breeze, circling him and obscuring him from view in shaded spirals. Jack rose ten feet into the air on a swirl of frost and darkness combined. Kozmotis stepped back, ready to assist under Jack’s lead. The song repeated his words, and North watched as the music seemed to fuel his power with light pulsing through the ice in time with the beat. Dark clouds gathered quickly overhead, and large clumps of hail started to fall. The yetis raised their shields and iron-clad arms to block the ice.

“Demon,” North muttered in his thick accent. Kozmotis felt a flair of irritation with the impulsive man, but he knew Jack could handle himself, especially angry and starved as he was.

“I could be fake! I could be stupid! You know I could be just like you!” Jack called out with the song, spreading his arms. His cloak was black with only slight spirals of white magic glowing along the inside. The hail turned to spikes, and those who didn’t block in time or have enough armor huddled together as it sliced away at their thick fur and skin. North signaled to the yetis to gather so they could throw him up into the air with Jack when the doors to the club opened beside Kozmotis. He looked over, expecting fearlings to come pouring out, but he saw Jack’s Lost Boys instead. He looked up at Jack, worried, but Jack either hadn’t noticed or had planned it this way. Kozmotis was almost certain that Jack wouldn’t put the children in harm’s way like this, but he also knew Jack was clever. North wouldn’t attack children. Would Jack be willing to use them as a shield like that? No- as Jack looked down, he seemed just as surprised that Desdemona was leading the kids out with a loud war cry and a spear made of ice.

“Stand down!” North barked as the kids rushed out and made a sloppy formation in front of the yetis.

“This club is our home! Leave BlackJack alone!” Desdemona defended. Jack hovered down beside her slowly with his hands out, knowing he needed to de-escalate this quickly before North got the wrong idea.

“You… you have corrupted children?” Too late, Jack thought.

“No. I offered them a safe place to stay. I haven’t-”

“You have broken your oath to protect them!”

“North, just listen!” Jack cast a cold, gusting wind so strong it knocked over North and the first line of yetis. “I’ve done nothing but try to keep the kids safe!”

“Who is he yelling at?” One of the younger boys asked Desdemona quietly. Any chance Jack had of reasoning with North was gone as the large man realized there was a young boy who couldn’t see him. A young boy who didn’t believe in Santa Claus. The last time children stopped believing in him, darkness had nearly taken the world back into its clutches. Something in the prideful man snapped, and he went blind and deaf with rage.

“No! Stop!” Jack blocked with thick walls of ice as North charged at him, swords swinging within inches of the children. Kozmotis swept them out of the way with his powers, creating a soft, invisible barrier that pushed them away from the fight. “What are you doing!” Jack tried not to fight. He wanted to reason with North. In his heart, he wanted to fix things and make everything right. But darkness didn’t like that. It squeezed on his heart and tried to find a crack in his starlight soul, fueling the fire of irritation into anger. Fearlings whispered into his mind about North’s frenzied, unjust attack and unwillingness to cooperate. They pried on Jack’s fear of having his Guardian status questioned or revoked. And Lilac specifically added how close North had come to hurting the children. Jack cried out and knocked North back with a powerful blow from his staff with an ice club suddenly on the end. He cast ice around North’s wrists, creeping cold up his hands and fingers until he forced North to drop the swords. Then, he grabbed North by his hefty collar in both hands and dragged him up into the sky, far above the trees then above the clouds. North was shaken from his rage and grabbed onto Jack’s hands, urging him not to lose his grip.

“What are you doing!”

“Cutting the head off the snake,” Jack said, his words hissed and whispered like a fearling was talking. The moon rose over them despite the broad daylight, three-quarters full and bright. Jack blinked at the bright blue sky and looked up at him, feeling paranoid and judged. “I’m doing my job,” he said to the moon before releasing North. The large man cried out and flailed as he fell through the sky, leaving a hole in the clouds beneath Jack. “I don’t care if you trust me,” he added before letting himself fall through the same hole, hands in his hoodie pocket. Kozmotis watched wide-eyed as North fell from the sky. Immortal legend or not, that was going to hurt. North summoned his sleigh in time, just above the trees, though the impact into the wooden deck still knocked the wind out of him and shook his reindeer a little loose. Jack came barreling after him, frost and shadows mixing in a deadly, spiky fractal around him. North stumbled to the reins and yanked on them to turn back around towards Jack. The yetis prepared from below, getting ready with large slings filled with coal for ammunition. Kozmotis stepped forward and got his powers ready, the air vibrating as he stood by to protect Jack.

Jack led North on a chase in figure eights around his section of Central Park. The yetis loaded the slings and tried to take aim, but every time they had a shot, Jack changed direction and put North in the line of fire. North snatched a snow globe from his cloak and tossed a curve ball in front of Jack, opening a portal to the pyramids in Egypt. Jack was looking back at him, recalculating the yetis’ aim and not paying attention to where he was flying. He smashed into the side of the pyramid and fell down a few bricks, stunned by the sudden light and heat. Kozmotis watched as North followed him through the portal, but Jack was quick and made one under his feet to bring him back to the base of the tree. North tried again to follow, and Jack only barely dodged as the reindeer and the sleigh came crashing into the ground. Kozmotis expected a haughty laugh, but Jack was done having fun. He was taking North for a ride on purpose. The fearlings gathered around him, and Jack sent them after the large man in the wreckage as the reindeer scattered. Jack didn’t care to watch his nightmare. He let the fearlings torture him and watched as North rolled and curled up in response to whatever they were making him see. He felt his power surge as the fearlings fed on the nightmare. The yetis wouldn’t just stand by and watch Jack make quick work of their boss, though. The front line came running at him, and Jack sent them flying back with another powerful gust of wind, not even looking up at them. Kozmotis looked back to make sure the kids were staying together.

“Jack. I’m sending them back inside.” Jack glanced back and nodded. Kozmotis made a portal and ushered the kids through, urging them to stay put.

“But what about Jack?”

“He can handle himself.” Kozmotis returned as Jack was releasing North from the trance.

“They… they’re not… it wasn’t real?” North stammered, looking smaller as he got to his feet, hugging himself. Jack leaned on his staff.

“No. But they are.” The fearlings had started to merge into large, hulking monsters with many eyes and limbs in the wrong places. North leapt back, and as soon as he was out of the way, the yetis fired on Jack. Without moving, he caught every piece of coal, varying in size from softballs to bowling balls, in tendrils of shadow. Each one absorbed the impact and flung it back with twice the force. A third of the yetis were knocked out or injured, while the rest were able to block or dodge. North ran for his swords as the giant fearlings lumbered after him. Fearlings dripped from the mass-creature’s arms and legs, and then they hurried to rejoin the others. Jack reached through a portal to start a new song, “When They Come for Me,” by Linkin Park, and he stretched out as the song started. North grabbed his swords and went to fight off the giant fearling when they all dissipated into shadow and he struck through the air. The strange music blared, tribal and warning, as Jack started making frostling copies of himself. He drew ice from the air, bringing it to life with sparkling blue magic and filling each frostling with dark, writhing shadows. They replicated to every other beat of the drums until Jack had his own army. “Koz.” He looked over. “Together?” He asked with a small smile under dead, dark eyes.

“Of course.” Kozmotis summoned his scythe and walked over as the yetis formed back up behind North and got ready. Jack muttered the lyrics as they started and sent his dark frostlings first. Each one went after a yeti and exploded on impact, either knocking out their opponent or forcing them into a nightmare. “Your clones aren’t very durable.”

“Haven’t practiced that one enough,” Jack agreed. North fought through three frostlings and came after Jack. “Now!” Kozmotis swung the scythe around. Jack jumped on and launched himself off it, laughing as he struck North in the gut with an ice club tipped staff again. He twirled the staff and until his dagger grew out from the end, placing it at his neck. “Haven’t we been here before, North? Didn’t you learn anything last time?”

“I did.” North kicked at Jack and rolled over, pulling another globe from his coat. This one was different though; it was bigger than his travel globes. He smashed it against the ground and the Northern Lights erupted from it, spreading quickly into the sky and knocking Jack out of the way as he cringed away from the brightness. The fearlings hissed and scurried back behind Jack. Kozmotis shielded him away from the light, surprised by North’s new spell. Each band of light summoned a Guardian. Tooth and Sandman came first. Bunny had woken up shortly after North’s departure and came on a band of Northern Light as well. Rhea felt the surges of power and had already been making her way there when she caught a band of light and used it to carry her the rest of the way. Kozmotis glared at Bunnymund, his eyes merciless and threatening. Jack peered around as the light faded.

“What is this?” He huffed. “You bring a war to my doorstep over a miscommunication?” He accused North.

“If it is war, it is because you have caused it,” North said, joining the group in front of the yetis. When Kozmotis was finally able to peel his eyes away from the injured Pooka, they fell on Rhea next. His heart ached to mend his relationship with his daughter, but he still couldn’t forgive her for how cruel and careless she’d been to Jack. She withered under his gaze as he made a point of standing closer to Jack.

“Is that so?” Jack propped his staff on his shoulder. “Why don’t you open your ears for once and ask Bunny what really happened two nights ago?” He scoffed. “Oh right, he probably doesn’t remember. Because he didn’t let me talk either.”

 _“You want to talk, Jack?”_ An airy voice, like an echo whistling on the wind, surrounded all of them. Jack looked up through the parting clouds at the moon as he hung over the group. _“Let’s talk. I’ll listen. I promise.”_ Jack felt drawn to the Man in the Moon. He hadn’t heard his voice in over three hundred years. He looked at Kozmotis first.

“Go ahead. I’ll hold neutral ground while you talk to him.” Jack nodded and floated up, surprised when a beam of moonlight shined down, and a round, childlike figure came with it. He stopped above the trees, within earshot of the Guardians but far enough for fighting to be put on hold.

“MiM.” Jack wasn’t sure what to say anymore. He remembered protecting Tsar Lunar as a baby. He remembered guiding him with bright light and tucking him in at night. He remembered playing and working together, forging a friendship that he was sure would last eons. MiM look like he’d barely aged past his toddler days, with a chubby, cherub-like form under his loose, creamy robes.

“My Nightlight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While the response to unwanted contact here might not be entirely realistic, I at least wanted to mention Jack and Kozmotis working through it together as partners. If you have a partner who's been assaulted in the past, it's important to be extremely patient with them and communicate constantly to ensure you don't trigger any negative memories.
> 
> We'll see what the Man in the Moon has to say on Thursday! Have a great week, my Frostlings!
> 
> extra: I added that North was afraid of metal bowls thanks to a not-so-canonical comic done by the Dreamworks animators who worked on the movie- https://riseoftheguardians.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Unofficial_Rise_of_the_Guardians_Comics#Myth_Hunter_.28Part_1-3.29  
> Skip down to North, Myth Hunter 1.2.2 to see one of their adventures for North before he became a Guardian!


	66. Two for Flinching

**Ch. 66- Two for Flinching**

Though he’d been watching from afar, seeing Jack up close was quite different for Tsar. He worked hard to concentrate his powers so he could take as long as they needed to talk without him having to return to his ship.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Jack said with a surprised but fond smile. His demeanor softened as he remembered all the fun they had together over millennia.

“But you’ve been changing.”

“Yeah, for starters, I’m not your nightlight anymore,” Jack said, slightly irked by his greeting.

“You’re so much more,” Tsar praised. “You’re a Guardian.”

“They don’t seem to think so at the moment.” Jack glanced down at the group below them.

“Talk to me. I haven’t seen you much these past few months. Fill me in.” Jack tucked the staff behind his back in a dainty hover.

“I made a deal with Pitch Black. I fell in love with him. He somehow came to return it. The Guardians found out and overreacted. I broke my memory spell and got scared. He followed. I traded myself for him and his daughter, let the darkness take me. I made the club as an outlet for safe feeding and protection of children with no homes. There. You’re all caught up.”

“Yes, your memory spell. I know why you did it, but it did concern me all those years. How I longed to tell you every time I saw how much pain you were in… but I had to respect your wishes. You wanted Pitch to leave you alone, and for centuries, he did.” Tsar kept his hands together between his long, drooping sleeves, his round figure resembling the moon itself.

“No. I wanted the people I loved to be safe. It wasn’t about me. It was never about me.”

“It’s always been you, Jack. You were the last Nightlight, the strongest and brightest. You decided not to kill Pitch and instead locked him away. You only delayed the threat. You didn’t end it. You loved him too much.”

“No, I-”

“You could have stopped everything that day. I should have seen before you weren’t as perfect as I always thought. I put you on a pedestal, and that was wrong of me. I idolized you as a pinnacle of justice and goodness, but you’re just as easily tempted and reckless as the rest of us.” Tsar kept a calm expression as he said these things, and he spoke as though he were scolding a toddler.

“What?” Jack started to back away. “I did it to protect everyone. He didn’t deserve to die!” Kozmotis and the others were following the conversation from below, though not all had been present for the battle in discussion. The star-shaped scar on the general’s chest ached suddenly with the memory, and he tried to rub away the sensation.

“I never told you because I thought it might ruin your innocent heart, but I learned from the stars that the blast you created killed my parents. You trapped Pitch Black and kept the darkness at bay for a hundred years, but in sparing his life, you took the royal family’s.” Jack’s dark eyes went wide with horror.

“No. No, it was an isolated attack!” He drew back, ice spiking along his staff and wind whipping around them in response to his emotions.

“I’m not faulting you. I’m not upset. What I’m trying to tell you is that light and dark don’t mix. What you’ve done to yourself is dangerous for everyone around you, even the general.” In his convoluted manipulation, though, Tsar had provided the void with a crack in Jack’s bright soul. If Jack was truly a killer, even unintentionally, then there was a fracture of doubt in his core beliefs that could be invaded and possessed.

“No… no, I’ve never- I don’t kill! My magic can’t have done that! I swore… I swore to protect…” He clutched his head, and Kozmotis noticed deep, inky darkness seeping up from the ground like they were about to be engulfed in a sinkhole of oil. This darkness was different from the translucent, wandering shadows.

“Jack Frost, you must free yourself from darkness and help us contain it. You won’t survive its full attack, and neither will we.” Jack turned back to him, darkness swirling in his eyes and in the clouds above them. Tsar looked up to see spirals of shadow shaping dark gray snow clouds.

“You manipulative little…” The darkness followed his command and wrapped a thick, inky tendril around Tsar as Jack made a fist in the air. Tsar struggled but had to focus on fighting gravity and couldn’t use much of his magic.

“Jack-” The darkness spread like a cocoon around him. The others took this as an attack and moved to leap into action. Kozmotis used his pressure hold on the atmosphere to knock them back down.

“Give him time!” He commanded, hoping Jack knew what he was doing.

“No,” Jack bit back at Tsar. “I can feel your fear. I want to know what you’re afraid of. Why you hide from us and never show your face.” Tsar’s eyes rolled back as he gave in, and Jack plunged into his fears. Kozmotis held the group back, but a sickly feeling twisted in his gut. When Jack finally returned, peeling away from the darkness around Tsar, he looked angry and horrified. “You’re a monster,” he hissed. He grabbed Tsar in the limbs of darkness and brought him down to face the Guardians. “Tell them! Tell them what you showed me!” Jack shouted. Tooth was scared to see Jack so deeply angered. Tsar was a friend, a leader, and the only one they had always trusted. North gritted his teeth, getting ready to fight alongside Bunny to protect his injured friend. Sandman hovered silently above them, worried but withholding judgment. Rhea slid back as the darkness spread through the grass at their feet. She knew its cold, miserable grasp all too well and wanted to stay far away.

“I only ever wanted what was best for-”

“LIAR! Tell them!” Jack yelled over him. “No. I’ll show them.” He cast a black screen that put Tsar’s memories on display. Kozmotis remembered Jack had cast this spell for himself shortly after breaking his memory spell. It showed the night he chose Sandman as a Guardian, and then Bunnymund, then North, then Toothiana. Then, it showed a memory of Pitch Black.

_“You don’t understand. You never could! Children need darkness, they need my fear to survive! Without it, they are reckless and hurtful. Fear keeps children from doing stupid things. I’ve had my fill of darkness for the sake of darkness. What is my purpose if not to help them? Make me a Guardian. Let me prove it to you! Who else could stand beside your light and bring balance and safety? I want to be believed in. I want to be seen. And not in the way of the Dark Ages. I’m begging you. Find forgiveness in your heart. Give me a chance.”_

Kozmotis had no memory of this conversation, and he was just as stunned as the others.

_A blinding beam of light shined down from the moon. Pitch flinched and put up an arm to shield his eyes, and Tsar drifted down to face him in person._

_“I wish I could forgive you as the man you once were. But I cannot forgive the demon you have become. You will forget this conversation and these desires. I will make a new Guardian, and when he’s ready, he will strike you down just as he has in the past.”_ _Tsar glowed brighter and brighter, the moonlight engulfing the wooded clearing they stood in as Pitch cried out and Tsar placed his spell. Tsar returned to the moon and looked down on Pitch as he wondered why he was in the snowy woods and how he’d gotten there. Then, Tsar’s gaze shifted to a frozen lake._ _“Time to wake up, Jack. I need you.”_ Jack forced the memory to change, not wanting to watch his awakening again, and he showed them when Tsar chose him to be a Guardian.

 _“Jack? Jack Frost? He doesn’t care about the children!”_ Bunny’s voice echoed as the Guardians stared at the silhouette conjured from crystal in moonlight. The Man in the Moon had not chosen a new Guardian, rather a champion for a battle he’d arranged centuries before. Then, Jack showed them Tsar’s contribution to one of their annual meetings.

_“Any other problems to add?” North asked. Jack, hood pulled far over his head and slumped deep in his chair, raised his hand. “Jack?”_

_“I’ve been thinking… about how Pitch Black disappeared at the end of our last battle with him?”_

_“Oh, not this again,” Bunnymund groaned._

_“Look, it just doesn’t seem right!” Jack sat up more. “Did any of you see the look on his face as he was consumed by Night Mares?”_

_“That he created!” Bunny pointed out._

_“I know what it’s like to be alone and afraid. No one deserves that!” Tooth bit her knuckle as Jack spoke up._

_“He tried to kill Sandy!” Bunny added._

_“Jack, we can’t-” Tooth tried to cut in until the moon shined overhead, pouring light into the open globe room of the Workshop._

_“Manny. Thank you. Help us with this. Explain to Jack why Pitch must stay where he is,” North said._

_“Pitch Black is a hopeless, possessed demon. Darkness is an indiscriminate side effect of light, but we must not give in to it. We must only try to eradicate it immediately as we find it. For the good of the children,” he told them all. Jack withered in his seat, defeated and not understanding._

“What is purpose of this, Jack? Release him!” North barked.

“No. You all need to know this. Tsar Lunar is not the benevolent cosmic prince we all thought he was! I can see everything now,” Jack said, looking back at Tsar, who had no choice but to meet his gaze in his confining, dark cocoon. “You never forgave me for trapping Pitch instead of killing him. You held me guilty for the death of your parents. You feared that when darkness returned, it would consume me, and I would come after you next. You never truly trusted me after that moment.” Memories flashed behind Jack, all from Tsar’s perspective, following his narrative. “You woke me and released Pitch in the process, and you realized you’d made a serious mistake. You convinced me to release my form and become human. You left hints for Pitch to follow me, threaten my friends and family! You kept hoping if you led him to me enough times, I would finally finish the job. You used me and manipulated me. You put my family in danger! And then, when Pitch begged you for forgiveness, you used us all to start a war! And again, I didn’t kill him when I had the chance. But you hoped, didn’t you? You’re a coward and a liar!” Kozmotis watched the memories as they played, also upset with Tsar’s actions. He had put his own fears above the needs of the Guardians and the children. Tsar had put children at risk on purpose to drive Jack to kill him.

“I don’t believe it,” North muttered.

“You felt justified using my family against me because my actions caused the death of your parents. You’re not the great, just leader we thought. You’re a bitter little boy who misses his mommy and daddy, and you were willing to do anything to get revenge. Even if it meant destroying my life and my chance at bringing balance to things.”

As he spoke, the void had slowly been seeping out from its prison, spreading through the grass and meandering close to Jack. It caught his spike of anger, the passion in the moment, the fear of Tsar and the Guardians, and it attacked. Jack gasped as the void latched onto him from behind, rising in shimmering, wet spikes like ferrofluid around a magnet. It wrapped around his limbs, and Tsar watched in horror as his vision of the future came true. Jack’s soul shined brightly through his body, and his ice armor disappeared. The void slithered into the tiny crack in Jack’s white star soul and swirled it around, playing with it as it sank in. It made a yin-yang curve as it spun and wrapped around the star, and then everything went dark under the snow clouds. The Guardians were on the defensive, weapons drawn, straining to see. A soft, desperate cry rang out, and the darkness cleared to show Jack had lunged at Tsar with his dagger on the tip of Twiner, stopping just short of his throat. Every muscle in Jack’s body tensed as he fought the dark urge to kill Tsar on the spot. Jack didn’t have it in him. He hated the idea of killing, even if the void was screaming in his mind, justifying the action. He fought it back with a hard swallow as the Guardians watched, holding a collective breath, and he spun Twiner around and tapped Tsar twice on the head, hard, with the crook of the staff. “Two for flinching,” he muttered.

Jack lowered himself to the ground, darkness rippling behind him in surging waves. There were scattered breaths of relief and a thick tension in the air. Light powder snow drifted down onto the scene. Kozmotis went to his queen’s side, reaching out to him. Tsar looked at his Guardians, terrified and exhausted, and he retreated in a new beam of moonlight without another word.

“Jack. Are you alright?”

“I feel much better now,” he said, his eyes trained on the Guardians. “His fear was delicious.” The marbling on Jack’s skin became more apparent, and his skin started to gray. North stepped forward, hands shaking, but he couldn’t find words.

“BlackJack. We want to help,” Desdemona spoke up, suddenly next to him with a few of the older kids.

“You really want to help?” Jack said, raising a brow. “Then become my fearlings. Join them at my side, and never feel fear or neglect again. Lend me your strength.”

“Jack, what are you talking about? You said you wouldn’t do it again,” Kozmotis grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

“Well it’s not up to us, is it? I never offered them a choice.”

“Don’t you dare start turning children,” Bunny spoke up and Jack flung him away with a punch to the ribs from a thick arm of shadow.

“How dare you speak to me after what you tried to do?” He hissed. Kozmotis backed away as Jack went after Bunny. “Let’s see your memories next!” Jack gathered the darkness in thin, spiraling arms and wrapped Bunnymund tightly like he’d done to Tsar. “Let’s show the Guardians how you stole my hope.” Jack didn’t watch the memories, but he could tell from darkness tapping into the Guardians’ emotions that they were shocked and horrified by what they saw.

“You said Jack stabbed you,” North muttered, looking back at Bunny after watching the memory. He couldn’t get past the image of Bunny bending Jack over and slamming him into the table, and the fear in Jack’s dark eyes.

“I tried to tell you what happened… I passed out,” Bunny said as Jack started squeezing the air out of him. He cried out as the pressure reopened his wound.

“Jack, stop it!” Tooth came at him with two thin swords at the ready, and he held her off in more limbs of shadow around her wrists. He followed that up with one snaked around the base of her wings to stop her from flying. She grunted in frustration as she hung limp from the shadows. Rhea looked at Sandman, hoping for guidance, but he didn’t have any. He was still in shock from the things he’d seen in the memories. He couldn’t believe it. Rhea lashed out at Jack next, but he froze her legs to the ground with just a glance, cutting off her access to earthen powers.

“Don’t forget who kills your plants in fall to make way for winter,” he said to her in a careless monotone. “You are all going to leave. Take this thing with you,” Jack said as he released Bunnymund and floated over to his tree. He withdrew the darkness and his ice. “Are you coming, my king?” Jack said as he gestured for the children to get inside. Kozmotis was hesitant, only for a moment, and followed him. He looked back at the Guardians and his daughter with a strained look in his eyes. He projected a message to Sandman before going inside and sealing the doors. The tree returned to normal, and the clouds started to clear.

“Manny,” North said, looking up at the moon with pain in his usually bright eyes.

“North, what are we going to-” Bunnymund started to ask, but the glare he received from North made him feel as small as when children had stopped believing in him. The others didn’t seem too keen on talking to him either after seeing what he’d done to Jack.

“We need to reflect, regroup, and make new plan,” North told the others as he fished out a snow globe and shook it for the North Pole. Sandman thought on what Kozmotis had sent him but kept it to himself as he followed the Guardians through the portal. Rhea was last, staring at the swirling magic. She didn’t really feel like she belonged with the Guardians. Half of them had done something horribly cruel and selfish to Jack, causing his possession by the void. She didn’t doubt that was what happened in the clearing just before he lunged at Tsar. She knew what that possession was like, and she felt obligated to help. But she had no idea how. They were already headed down a path that spelled certain doom not just for the Guardians, but for all light on Earth. Meanwhile, Jack took The Lost Boys back down to their floor, rubbing his head and mumbling about a headache.

“Hey, guys. I’m sorry about that. I was really upset. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Es okey,” Desdemona shrugged. “We seen gang bosses get mad before.”

“But that’s not me,” Jack said, dropping to a knee in front of her. “And I don’t want you to think that of me. Don’t even- forget what I said about the fearlings. I mean it.” Kozmotis watched carefully, now inspecting Jack’s every move and word.

“Is it true they don’t feel fear?”

“I’m not really sure. Forget about it. Please. I turned a child into a fearling once, and I regret it.” Lilac rose from the shadows at Jack’s mention.

“Oh, this one is cute,” Desdemona said, leaning down for a better look. Lilac tilted her head to mimic the girl and then climbed up onto Jack’s shoulder.

“Why don’t you take some of the kids out for a movie, or for ice cream? Get your mind off all this until I’m ready to start up the club again.”

“Yes sir,” Desdemona nodded. “But… if you need us to be fearlings… I wouldn’t mind.” Jack frowned as she walked away, and he felt a tweaking pain in his chest. Kozmotis was at the door waiting when he left the room.

“How are you feeling?”

“Strange… I need to lie down.” He leaned on Kozmotis. “It’s weird… I don’t feel… anything.”

“You’re in emotional shock. You’re right, you need rest.”

“You also promised we would get right back to things after we handled North,” Jack smirked.

“I really think you should rest.”

“Are you denying me?” Jack floated up to face him with a sly grin.

“Yes. I am. You just fed. You just had a traumatic experience. You need to rest and recuperate so we can talk these things through.” Jack scoffed.

“Whatever.”

“Jack, it’s not whatever. You just nearly killed the last member of the royal family!”

“Yeah, and apparently, I killed the other ones, too. Can we not talk about it right now? I just…” He sighed heavily. “I just want to be with you right now. I want to forget all that happened. Please? Be with me in this moment?” Kozmotis dropped his head with a pause and then nodded.

“Very well. I’m sorry, my queen.”

“It’s okay… I just… I don’t like thinking about these things.”

“I know you don’t.” He grabbed the floating ice spirit out of the air by his waist and carried him back to the room on his shoulder. “We can get back to what we were doing before, if that’s what you want.”

“Good,” Jack smiled, darkness trailing them closely.


End file.
